Betrayal Within
by SnowyAxolotl
Summary: The organization, Demon's Grasp, are behind the recent events to overthrow the government. Fearful of another revolution, Najenda reforms Night Raid to stop the group. Sequel to Kill the Revenge.
1. Report

**Before I start the story, I just want to inform you guys that this is a sequel to my last story, "Kill the Revenge." So, if you haven't read that yet I suggest you do. However, if you don't, no big deal but you may have certain questions of what's going on or what about this character. Anyway, enjoy the story!**

 _ **Report**_

The room was silent, not a single man or woman spoke; even Minister Marik himself was silent. The only sounds made were those from Najenda's habit of smoking and occasionally straightening a stack of papers she had with her. Most were just records but a small portion included the events of last week with Night Raid facing off against several people who wanted to take over the government. They were successful, but they also lost many good lives, including Wave and Run; survivors of the revolution.

It felt as though hours had passed by ever since she entered the room. Much change was made to the capitol. Where the emperor once sat was the minister who was surrounded by a circle of closed in desks filled with members or the newly appointed council. In the middle of the room was where reports were given with a single stand and glass of water would sit. Najenda felt like all eyes were always on her before she entered the circle but it felt ridiculous that reports were to be given the way she's been doing them since the fall of the Empire.

"Najenda, I trust you have your monthly report ready for us?" Minister Marik asked. His calm tone didn't match his appearance of a red and white robe that was lined with gold. The small emblem in shape of the moon he wore on his head didn't help either as it wrapped around his bald head.

"I do." Najenda replied before clearing her throat. "This months expenses have gone to small fishing villages that are still struggling from the waste that was poured into their waters by the old emperor. But, I wish to discuss something else. I'm aware that I will still be asked to give a full report of everything else but I feel that this is of utmost importance."

Minister Marik looked at Najenda with some concern with what she would say. Even several of the council members were intrigued with what she would say. Some, on the other hand, kept staring at the small clocks on their desks; wishing for the meeting to end soon.

"With regards to last weeks events, it has come to my attention that we have not yet obtained peace in the lands yet." She began. "Of course this would be expected since change isn't easy; however, after recovering bodies of the deceased from the southern mountains, including councilman Koizumi's…"

Najenda could hear several whispers of people saying things about Koizumi after his name popped up. Some said he was such a good man while others admitted to have looked up to him as a role model. These words didn't bother her much, she assumed it would be best that everyone figure out his true intentions through her report but felt that some of the council members wouldn't believe her.

"After thorough autopsies of the deceased, we have discovered a letter on Koizumi that has sensitive information regarding our military strength and the location of several barracks. Even names and dates that some of the council members here are listed for when they are to head out on political agendas."

"Why would he have information that sensitive on him?" A man asked.

"We have reason to believe that he was working with the enemy." Najenda replied. "His motives are still currently unknown but we feel he may be working with the Loyalist Army in hopes of retaining power again."

The once silent room soon became a bustle of noise. Council members, all around, began discussing what the next appropriate move would be. Others began to fear that the Loyalist Army would take control of the government again and resume the era of fear.

"Calm people, calm!" Marik said, raising his hand to stop the chatter. "I believe that this does bring some sort of issue that must be looked at personally but as far as the reports have gone, the Loyalist Army has very few supporters to actually be considered a threat."

"Minister Marik, I regret to inform this but the letter was written to Demon's Grasp." Najenda sighed.

Minister Marik looked at Najenda like he saw a ghost. The name Demon's Grasp has come up only a few times during the meetings they've had but every time the name was even mentioned or implied, everyone went silent.

During the course of the few months they've established the new government, the organization Demon's Grasp has managed to destroy several towns and villages. No one is certain of the members or their motives, especially the weapons they use but are safe to assume they use teigu. However, the frightening part of the group is the number of members they have which is only five.

Minister Marik sat down and processed his thoughts before looking back at Najenda. "Are you certain?" He asked, hopeful he was imagining things.

Najenda slowly shook her head. "I'm afraid the letter had their name written clear, but we do have names." She then pulled out the letter from the stack of papers and scanned it until she found the names. "Hades, Pluto, Nyx, Hecate and Thanatos. But, I feel these may be alias' in order to keep their true identities a secret."

"I see." Marik replied before thinking once more.

"I do have a proposition." Najenda added, catching the room's attention.

"Do go on." Marik encouraged her.

"If you'll be willing to, I would like to reform Night Raid and track down Demon's Grasp in order to stop them."

"And how would you pull that off?" A woman asked.

"I would select the members for the group and would begin searching for the group and retrieve information. We would also make it a sub-mission to stop the Loyalist Army as we fear with Demon's Grasp support they'll grow in numbers."

"Well Minister Marik? What do you think?" The woman then asked Marik.

"Well Najenda, it feels as though you put a lot of thought into this." Marik commented. "So I will allow you to use any resources you require."

"I'm glad to hear that." Najenda smirked. "Because I have a request."

"And what would that be?"

"I would like the criminal Akame in the group and her records expunged."

All eyes soon darted at Marik who didn't seem to pleases with Najenda's request. The once calm minister was now turning a little red as his hand began to slowly clench into a fist. Najenda, nor anyone else, understood the frustration he had when it came to Akame but Najenda had an idea that it could be from the innocence she slaughtered during her younger days as an assassin.

"No...absolutely not." He restrained himself from yelling. "I won't allow that war criminal in the capitol."

"But minister, I have absolute trust in her. I'm aware of her past, but you must realized she was only following orders. After she sided with us, she continued to follow orders to the word."

"I'm sorry Najenda, but that is one request I will not allow." Marik refused.

"Then how about we make a deal?" Najenda asked, catching the minister's ears. "If you allow me to have Akame and we fail then you can execute her and jail me."

"Najenda, do you realize what you're saying?" A man asked.

"I do Shala. Thank you for your concern." Najenda said.

Minister Marik took a few minutes before quietly nodding his head.

"Minister, if we do succeed, then I wish for her records to be expunge and her no longer labeled a criminal."

"Fine." Marik said in a selfish tone. "Now leave, this meeting is adjourned for the day."

Half of the room cleared out quickly, including Marik who was being escorted by several Royal Guards. The only people left were a few members silently talking, councilman Shala and Najenda who was organizing her papers.

"That was some meeting." Shala said as he approached Najenda.

"Well, we've had worse." Najenda replied.

"I meant your proposal." Shala corrected her. "Are you sure you're up to the challenge?"

Najenda looked at Shala. He was an old man who didn't seem like he had too many years left but somehow was as healthy as a new born baby. Most of his hair had fallen off and all that was left on top of his head were gray patches. His wrinkled face wore a small gray moustache that he would occasionally shave off so it wasn't too visible from a distance. Most of his attire was a gray suit with a small star shaped emblem he wore around his neck to signify his position as a member of the council.

"Of course I am." Najenda said as she waved the stack of papers in front of him. "After all, I have my new recruits picked."

 **Hey there guys, thank you so much for reading! Hope you all had a great time at Phoenix Comicon if you went this year, I know I have. I've had a lot of fun writing out this chapter including brief summaries of the other chapters to come. Just to let you all know that this is a sequel to Kill the Revenge so if you haven't read that yet, I suggest you do. I would like to also thank Fire Lord 626 and ClickedPsychic for helping me with the ideas for the story. Other than that, please leave a review and also favorite or follow this story. Heiwa!**


	2. The Red-Eye Assassin

_**The Red-Eye Assassin**_

"Oh man." Neo groaned to himself. "How could I possibly get lost again? Those nice farm people said 'go this way' but it seems I've been tricked." He clenched his fist angrily as he looked up at the sky, hollering for the world to hear. "When I see them again, I'll teach them not to mess with me!"

As he unclenched his fist, a strange feeling of eyes set upon him put him on alert. Slowly making his hand towards his blade, he took a deep breath before quickly turning around; pulling out Senketsu and aiming it at the presence behind him.

However, he quickly retracted his blade after noticing Najenda standing behind him. She didn't seem pleased with him as her arms were folded and her eye seemed to be twitching. Looking down at her mouth, he noticed a tiny piece of what looked like a green straw. It was barely smoking with the occasional turning red then back to it's original black charcoal form. His eyes slowly made their way down to the ground where the rest of the green straw was. Gulping, he knew what he had done.

"Ah, N-Najenda. This is quite the surprise meeting you here." He said, trying to fool Najenda.

"Is this how you always so hello?" Najenda asked as she grabbed the rest of cigarette and tossed it on the ground. "Because if it is, then this is how I say hello!"

Unable to move in time, Neo felt the full force of Najenda's mechanical arm punch him in the stomach; knocking him on the ground.

"Now, I may forgive you for shredding my cigarette if you can do something for me." Najenda said as she towered over him.

"What is it?" He asked, holding his stomach from the pain.

* * *

"And that's the gist of it." Najenda concluded as her and Neo walked through the woods.

"So do you expect her to come on her own accord or do you intend to use force?" Neo asked.

The past hour they've been walking, Najenda has informed Neo of the recent events following the last time they were together. To Neo, it felt like ages since he was fighting alongside Akame against a corrupt council member keen on destroying the newfound government. After hearing news of possible traitors among the councilmen and the organization Demon's Grasp, he couldn't help but think what could've happen if he hadn't stepped in at the time to save Akame.

"Neither, I have a feeling she'll join." Najenda replied before stopping suddenly. "There it is." She pointed in front of them.

Neo looked in front of them to see an old run down building that hasn't be occupied in what seemed like months. Some of the walls were breaking apart as signs of debris on the ground covered the grass. A few windows had been smashed and the overhanging cliff above the building was losing its foundation little by little.

"Now, when we enter I must warn you that she may attack without questioning first. So what I need you to do is go first and try not to die." Najenda smiled as she backed away from him.

"What sort of plan is that?!" Neo asked angrily. "Hmph, if she thinks I'll die quicker than snapping a twig then she is dead..." Neo paused as his foot felt a small rope wrap around him. "Wrong?"

The rope soon yanked him up into the air. Unable to slow down or cushion his blow, his head slammed against the tree branch the rope had settled on before being dropped on the ground and yanked straight back up. Below him, a deep hole appeared, but he ignored it as he pulled out Senketsu and cut the rope cleanly only to find himself falling in the hole.

Meters away, Najenda watched in amusement as Neo made his way out of the hole only to sang several more traps.

" _It seems you don't want company._ " She thought to herself. " _It also seems like Neo's gullible enough to fall for that third trap with those logs._ "

"Oh come on! A net! Seriously?!" Neo shouted in the background as the sound of leaves and branches shook. "Akame! Get out here already and stop these traps!"

" _I wonder if you learned those from him?_ " Najenda wondered as she began making her way towards the building.

As she passed by Neo, she noticed several scrapes and bruises of where the traps and branches hit him. But the only thing about him that really stood out was his incredibly red face from frustration.

"Akame…." He grunted, freeing himself from the previous trap. "If I run into one more trap I'll k-...for the love of….." He yelled as another rope snagged both of his legs and ran him through some cleverly hidden tunnels until his final destination found him being thrown against the wall of the building.

"That's it!" Neo angrily yelled. "Akame! Show yourself!"

Almost immediately, Neo found his gaze meet the sharp end of a blade close to his neck. Following the blade, he saw black gloves covered by red gauntlets that led all the way to black hair then red eyes. In front of him, Akame stood perfectly still, her demeanor stare gave him the chills as he let go off Senketsu's handle.

"H-Hey there, Akame." Neo forced himself to grin. "Nice meeting you."

"Tatsumi?" Akame questioned.

"Seriously?! I thought you would have learned by now!" Neo yelled.

"That's quite alright." Najenda said as she approached the two. "Akame….long time no see."

"Whatever it is, I'm not interested." Akame said as she pulled Murasame's blade away from Neo's neck and sheathed it. With a quick turn, she slapped Neo with some of her hair as she began walking towards her traps.

"I'm sure you've heard about them then?" Najenda asked as she followed her.

"Of course. But from what I've heard, no one can tell what their strength is. Anyone who has gone against them went mysteriously missing for days only to be found hanging dead from a tree." Akame said as she knelt down near the first trap. "I'm surprised you manage to snag all of my traps." She said to Neo as she examined the rope. "What kind of training did you do to do all this?"

"Nice to see you too." Neo said annoyed. "But Akame, we need your help. If not then we're looking at another revolution."

"If I could fight with you guys I would but since I've been labeled a war criminal. My involvement would send you guys to the gallows for treason." Akame responded uncaring of Neo's plea.

"What if I told you those charges will be dropped if we manage to stop them?" Najenda asked catching Akame's attention.

"What if you were to fail?" She asked. "As far as I know, the last time you tried to convince me to join we lost everyone."

"Huh, I know." Najenda sighed. "But it can't be helped sometimes; you of all people should know that." She then pulled out her pack of cigarettes, bumping one out and putting it in her mouth. "But if you do help us, your records will be expunged. However, if we fail, a fate worse than death will greet us." She chuckled.

"Don't sound so casual when you put it like that." Neo said.

"Also if we fail…." Najenda continued, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep puff from it. "You will be publicly executed. Same for me, probably, since I'm the one who vouched for you. It seems like a fair option."

"I'm sorry, I just can't." Akame repeated. "I couldn't bare to lose anymore friends to me."

"Akame, that will never happen." Neo said. "If you help us, I promise to come back alive." He smiled.

Akame's eyes darted at him and with quick speed, she slapped him. Najenda was even surprised from her reaction as Akame turned back around to set her trap.

"Don't promise something you can't keep." She said. "I once knew someone who promised to come back alive, but one day, he sacrificed himself for others. I was happy for him, but also sad." Her arms began trembling a little as she looked at her hands; her eyes tearing up from the painful memory she still kept with her. "He… he just died right in my arms. He promised to always come back alive and yet he died."

"Akame…" Neo said silently.

Neo watched as Akame constantly began shaking, sounds of her beginning to weep filled the silent air until he thought he could hear her tears fall and hit the ground. Without thinking, he walked over to Akame and hugged her from behind, catching the assassin off guard.

"I promise you that won't happen with us." He quietly said. "I promise that no matter what, I will always come back."

"Liar…" Akame sniffed as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Then let me prove you wrong." He chuckled as he let go of her and stood up. "Now come on, let's stop those bad guys."

Akame looked at Neo who only smiled as he extended his hand to her. Wiping her final tear, she grabbed his hand and stood up, smiling back at him.

"Alright, it looks like you decided to join." Najenda said. "Welcome back to the group."

* * *

Miles away, two figures watched as Neo, Akame and Najenda began making their way back to the capitol. The girl standing to the right was mostly covered in a large coat that only revealed her feet and several bits of the tips of her fingers. The collar went up to her mouth only showing her red eyes as they focused on Akame while her blue hair, tied in a ponytail with two bangs forming curtains around her face blew in the wind.

The man next to her was crouched down and wore only white pants. His upper body was muscular but thin. His eyes were covered by a white cloth that wrapped around his hair, keeping it down.

"It seems they got her to join first." The man said.

"It looks like we'll have a small problem with her. But the other two don't seem that strong." The girl replied. "I could probably take them with one hand tied behind my back."

"Heh, only a fool would do that, Hecate." The man said. "After all, only a god like myself can handle all three of them."

"Don't get too excited just yet, Thanatos." Hecate warned. "We're only observing. Our first priority is to return to base. We can discuss what to do with them later."

"Hmph, if you say so." Thanatos said as the two sprinted away from where they were.

 **Hey there guys, thanks for reading and the awesome comments. I also want to thank you guys in making this the second highest viewed story of this month, you guys rock! Now I know it doesn't compare to Empire High, but it still makes me happy to have you guys read my stories so please keep up the awesome work. By the way, I will also post bio's for the oc's I've created in this story but they won't appear until after I post chapter 5 for Night Raid and Chapter 6 for Demon's Grasp. Please don't forget to leave a review and also favorite or follow and tell your friends. Heiwa!**


	3. Lilian

**I know it's early to be posting a new chapter but I'm trying something out. So every 5th day of the month is when I will post a new chapter. Seeing as I have a lot of chapters ready, I want you guys to be able to enjoy them as much as I do. So today will be an exception and there will be one on the 15th. Enjoy!**

 _ **Lilian**_

"Ah, we've finally made it!" Neo exclaimed as the three of them entered the capitol through the outer gates.

The trip had taken them about two days and during that time Najenda told Akame and Neo all the information about Demon's Grasp and the Loyalist army.

"It must feel nostalgic being back here, huh Akame?" Najenda asked as the assassin watched a few children run by playing with sticks.

"Mmhmm." Akame sounded. "It makes me feel proud to know that their sacrifice wasn't in vain."

"That's good to know."

"Hey, before we go to the headquarters, how about we stop and get something to eat?" Neo asked. "You see, I'm kinda sta-" He awkwardly laughed as his stomach growled.

Najenda sighed and nodded her head after Akame agreed with him. However, before the three could pick a place, a girl with brown hair ran by Akame, pushing her a bit without saying a word.

"Some people are just rude." Neo commented as he saw the girl round the corner.

"And some people are thieves too." Akame angrily said as she chased after the girl, much to Neo's confusion.

Najenda sighed. "It's hard to believe it's only been a few months."

* * *

The girl ran passed a small booth before cutting down an alleyway and rounding the corner ending up at a small dead end. The dead end had the appearance of someone living in it. Next to the greystone building and the red wall was a small pile of boxes that have been fashioned into a bed. Near the foot of the bed were piles of garbage that had been ripped open revealing chunks of garbage.

The girl tied her brown hair into a ponytail before checking the small pouch she had stolen from Akame. Most of her attire consisted of a brown overcoat with a blue long sleeve shirt and brown pants. On her left shoulder she wore a leather shoulder guard that also held a small knife on the strap. But, near her waist, hiding in the coat, was an iron sword with the initials L.P.

As she opened the bag, her green eyes brightened up as several pieces of meat fell as well as crushed up bread and cheese.

"Wait, why does someone carry something like this with her?" The girl questioned.

"Because it's my food." A voice rang out behind her.

The girl slowly turned around until her green eyes met red eyes. Standing in front of the only exit to the place was Akame. She wasn't too pleased seeing her food spilled onto the ground; just the sight of meat slapping the concrete was enough for her to draw Murasame.

"W-Waitwaitwaitwait." The girl said terrified. "I w-was just going for the money. Y-You can h-have your f-food back." She offered what was left in the bag back to Akame.

"It's too late for that." Akame said as she pointed Murasame at the girl. "Besides...what's wrong with you?"

"I-I get nervous when I d-don't have my s-sword in my h-hand." The girl replied.

"Then draw out your blade." Akame commanded her.

"W-What?" The girl asked confused by the instructions she was given.

"Draw out your blade." Akame repeated. "If you speak the truth, then you'll be able to face the consequences."

Akame tightened her grip on Murasame before rushing the girl. Seeing nothing but sorrow over her food, she swung Murasame at the girl. However, instead of feeling flesh, she felt the steel of another blade deflect her attack sending a ring to echo throughout the alleyway.

Shifting her head slightly, Akame's eyes noticed the steel point of a sword that connected to a black, decorated handle that was being held by a pair of two hands. Moving up the arms, she noticed a pair of green eyes only the eyes were glaring at her than before when they seemed terrified.

"I'm not sure you'll be able to live to see me suffer the consequence." The tone of the girl's voice changed as she broke away from Akame and lunged in for a strike.

Akame shifted her sword diagonally, sending the girls sword downward and into the ground, causing her to lose balance. She soon met the end of Akame's foot as it slammed against the bottom of her chin. Regardless, the girl managed to catch herself and swept her leg underneath Akame but missed as the assassin jumped into the air.

"Got you now." The girl grinned as she fastened her grip on her sword and lunged once more at Akame.

Reacting quickly, Akame managed to block the attack, putting both blades together. The two girls putting all their strength into pushing one another away.

"Why are you so keen in punishing me?" The girl asked as she struggled to push Akame back. "It was just a bag of food!"

"But it was my bag of food." Akame said as she managed to summon a little bit more strength, pushing the girl into a wall.

The girl struggled to keep Akame's sword from getting to close to her; her back to the wall and nowhere to go. On the other hand, Akame continued to apply more strength as she pushed down harder on her sword, forcing the girls sword to slowly move closer to her.

"Any last words?" Akame asked.

The girl looked around the area before noticing the bag of food on the ground. Looking back at Akame, she gave her a slight grin before kicking her leg and began running towards the bag. Akame slowly got back on her feet after collapsing to a new and turned around to see a piece of meat flying towards her face. However, instead of using Murasame to cut it, she opened her mouth wide and caught it in the air.

"What the?" The girl questioned before finding Murasame close to her throat.

Unable to move, unable to speak, the girl waited in fear while Akame held Murasame's blade close to her. She knew in her mind that if the blade hits her throat she's done for.

"Akame!" A voice rang out in the small corner.

Both the girl and Akame turned to see Neo and Najenda standing before them. Neo had his sword drawn while Najenda crossed her arms while smoking a cigarette, leaning against the wall. Akame quickly withdrew Murasame from the girl's throat and sheathed it in her hilt, allowing the girl to let out a sigh of relief.

"Is this the thief?" Najenda asked.

Akame nodded her head.

Najenda sighed. "Alright, I'll get the guards and have her…"

"I want her to join." Akame interrupted, catching everyone by surprise.

"But Akame, she stole from you." Neo reminded her.

"True, but her sword skill is exceptional." Akame said as she walked towards him. "Only one other person has managed to survive against me in a fight."

" _Hmph, it seems this girl must have a resemblance to him_." Najenda thought with a smirk.

"But first, if you're to join us, you need to tell us your name." Akame said turning her focus onto the girl.

"Usually when someone asks for a name they introduce themselves first." The girl said.

"Alright then, I'm Akame."

"Well I'm Lilian. Lilian Proctor." The girl replied as she sheathed her blade. "I-It's nice to meet you."

"Did...Did her personality just change?" Neo asked confused.

"I-I'm sorry. I get t-terribly shy w-without my swordand t-tend to st-stutter." Lilian blushed a little from embarrassment.

* * *

"So you're from the countryside?" Neo asked Lilian as the waitress brought a small pot of tea for the group.

Lilian nodded her head.

"So why are you in a place like this? I've heard most country people prefer their homes now that the Revolutionary Army took over."

"W-Well um, you see…" Lilian began poking her fingers together. "M-My family was k-killed. I-I just want to f-find who killed them and….and…" Tears began forming in her eyes just at the thought of remembering her past. "I want to bring them justice!" She yelled without stuttering.

"Well if you join us, then you're sure to find some leads." Neo comforted her as she started to cry a little. "So...whadaya say?"

Lilian looked up at Neo and Akame who both were smiling towards her. Najenda had her eyes closed, not slightly interested in the conversation the three were having.

"O-Okay." Lilian said afraid of choosing the wrong answer.

"Alright!" Neo happily said.

"Najenda?" Akame asked.

Lilian looked at Najenda who took a deep puff from her cigarette. The smoke filled the air for a brief time before disappearing, but the smell of tobacco still lingered.

"I suppose if she's earned your trust then I'll allow her to join." Najenda said.

Akame smiled while Neo went to pat Lilian on top of the head before ordering another round of drinks for everyone.

"Welcome to the group!" Neo said to Lilian. "I wish you the best!"

* * *

"Master Hades, we've come to report Night Raid's movement." Hecate kneeled before a man dressed in iron armor with a black cape. His face was scratched up and his black beard was as thick as his hair. Only two small daggers could be seen at his waist as he sat in his chair before Hecate and Thanatos.

"And what have you to report?" Hades asked.

"Akame has joined the fray." Hecate continued. "We believe we should strike soon and take her out first."

"No!" Hades slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. "We will continue with the plan. One small rat won't be abe to take down our power."

"But Hades, do not forget the Plague of a Thousand Lives." A man said as he appeared from the shadows.

The man was dressed in a long black cloak and wore a mask covering his face. Only a bow was attached to his back.

"Pluto, I expect you have a reason for being here?" Hades asked.

"The meeting have been set. Hywel has agreed to supply the Loyalists."

"Good." Hades said. "Summon the rest, we have to get moving with the next phase."

"Yes my lord." Everyone bowed before leaving the room.

 **Hey there guys! Thanks for reading! I hope you are all ready to meet the new members of Night Raid as well as Demon's Grasp in the chapter after. I also have some exciting news for those of you who recently read Empire High. On July 1st, I will be posting the first chapter of Empire High II. That's right, the long awaited sequel you all wanted is coming soon so be prepared for it. However, this also means I have three stories to write which means I may be a little late when it comes to posting new chapters. But, I have chapters planned and written ahead so hopefully that won't happen. Anyway, please be sure to leave a review and don't forget to favorite/follow this story. Heiwa!**


	4. Your New Family

_**Your New Family**_

The table was silent where they sat. Akame had previously dug into a small bag of snacks she had concealed quite well. It was purely meant as a backup in case of thieves, such like Lilian. On the right side of her sat Lilian who seemed very nervous in awkward situations. She constantly kept tapping her index fingers together while staring at the table, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone else.

Seated next to her was a young woman, possibly younger than her, who wore an elegant purple dress. Two red ribbons were tied at her elbows which lead up to a white collar that connected the entire dress together. The girl had her blonde hair tied into two curly pigtails that reached down to the back of the chair she was seated in. Across her forehead was a small tiara that was almost the same color as her hair, nearly blending in. Her purple eyes only gazed upon the one ring she wore on her right ring finger. It was small but had a opal color to it.

Next to the young girl was a large muscular man. Most of his attire consisted that of a mercenaries. A ragged shirt with a shield placed on the dominant arm; however, in this case, the man had two small sized shields on both arms. A small symbol was embroidered onto them, possibly referring to the mercenary group he was affiliated with. His face, much like the rest of his body, was muscular too. A large scar covered his nose and his right eye leading up to his short black hair. His only concern was towards a small bluejay that had flown close to the window where he was.

Sitting at the head of the table, across from Akame, was a young man, about the same age as her. His clothes were that of the Hidden Guards with mostly iron plated armor that covered his upper and lower torso. Yet most of his armor was gone with only half of his chest place still intact. The rest of his attire was a long blue shirt and black pants. His messy brown hair seemed to get in his blue eyes that were mainly focused on the young girl who occasionally darted her eyes away from him.

Sitting next to the young man was a silent older man yet younger than the brute across from him. He wore mostly black clothing but had a red scarf wrapped around his left arm. He never seemed to bother opening his eyes and scoffed a few times when Neo attempted to ask him a question. Nevertheless, the man continued to act as though he shouldn't be there.

Soon the door opened with Najenda walking in. A cigarette burning in her mouth as she held a small stack of papers. Standing between the young man and the silent one she slammed the stack of papers down and sternly looked at everyone.

No one in the group seemed to pay her any mind when she entered in until she pulled out a small pistol and fired it into the air.

"Listen up!" She said strongly. "As of today, you will all be working together!"

Lilian jumped a little bit at the sound of Najenda's words. Even the bigger guy was surprised at the amount of volume Najenda could give out.

"So, before I continue, you all will introduce yourselves." She continued as she pointed at Akame. "Akame, you start."

Akame stood up in her chair, still eating the bag of snacks in her hand. After swallowing what food she had left in her mouth, she cleared her throat and spoke.

"I'm Akame." With that, she sat back down, much to everyone's surprise.

"Er….don't you want to say anything else?" Najenda suggested but received a firm head shaking. "Alright then….you go next." She pointed at Lilian.

"Um….hello e-everyone." Lilian shyly smiled. "I'm Lilian P-Proctor, i-it's a pleasure to m-meet your acquaintance."

She quickly sat back down and attempted to hide behind Akame who thought she was after her snacks and sheltered them from her, giving Lilian a mean glare to back off.

"Better?" Najenda couldn't think of any other words. "Keep going, next!"

Soon the young woman stood up and took a slight bow.

"I'm Iris Bristol. I come from the Bristol family that controls most of the country's farmlands. It's thanks to my father that the government was able to rise after the revolt. I do so hope that we all may get along."

"Of course we could...my love." The young boy in armor said as he slide next to Iris, grabbing her hand.

"I'm Juro Tsiatis, a member of the honorable Hidden Guard. It has been tasked, upon me, to help bring down the terror that will threaten this government. However, I do see another thing they may threaten and that beauty stands before me." Juro romantically spoke. "Please Ms. Bristol, will you go on a date with me?"

"That was fast!" Neo said shocked as everyone waited for Iris' response.

"Why, my good man." Iris smiled as she put her free hand on Juro's. Without any sign, she kicked him in the lower area, causing him to fall over on bear the pain. "It seems you've mistaken my kindness with love, for you see, I have no interest in men who are sworn to protect."

"Okay then, I guess we all know Romeo now." Najenda scratched the back of her head. "Let's just move onto muscles over here."

The large muscular man stood up, nearly pushing the table and everyone away from.

"My name is Abel Nottingham." He spoke in a deep voice. "I'm not from a noble line so get the idea out of your head. I'm merely here due to certain….reasons." He eyed Najenda before sitting back down.

" _Honestly, just one decent introduction from any of these guys would be nice._ " Najenda thought before looking at the silent man; motioning him to introduce himself.

"I'm Callen." He said before sitting back down.

"No different from Akame." Najenda commented before looking at Neo.

"I'm Neo Kurogane." Neo spoke. "I used to be a former member of the Imperial Army before deserting to join Najenda and the Revolutionary Army to a new world. I really don't have much to say now."

"My aren't you handsome." Iris said, gazing upon Neo.

Neo looked at her uncomfortably before sitting back down in his chair. Iris then gave him a small wink before returning her attention towards Najenda.

"I guess beggars can't be choosers." Najenda sighed. "Anyway, like I've already said, as of today you are all part of this group of assassins, Night Raid. But do not think yourselves a comrades but more of a family. Because it's your family you will need to rely on out there in the field. Any questions?"

No one in the room spoke which made Najenda smile a bit before passing around the stack of papers she brought in.

"Now, as some of you may know, the reason why I chose you is to help eradicate a group known as Demon's Grasp. So far we've only managed to figure out their numbers which is only five."

"Five? You take me out of prison for five measly people?" Abel asked irritated.

"Well these five people are capable of taking down large armies and towns. Just last month, two villages were quickly demolished in less than five minutes." Najenda replied. "As you can see, we suspect the group to contain teigu that not even the books can tell; even their motive to taking down the newly formed government."

"So you picked us to stop them?" Juro asked, finally back in his seat.

"Correct. But, starting tomorrow, there will be only recon missions to figure out any info on the group. Only a few of you will go while the others try to diminish any revolt from the Loyalist Army."

"Loyalist Army?" Iris questioned. "I thought we were only going after Demon's Grasp?"

"That's true, but as of lately, the remains of the Loyalists group who want to return the old empire's power have increased in numbers and we've lost many towns to them. So our other mission is to suppress the Loyalists."

"Alright, leave it to me!" Juro smiled. "I'm tired of doing patrols, it's time I actually did some real fighting."

"Hmm, this does sound interesting, maybe getting out of jail will be worth it." Abel said.

"I suppose it would be nice for a stroll in the countryside while taking down a few criminals." Iris grinned.

"I-I'm in!" Lilian forced herself to speak.

"Beats getting lost." Neo spoke.

"Fine, I'm in." Callen sighed.

"Mmhmm." Akame nodded her head, still eating her food.

"You all are to report here tomorrow at 0700 hours. Dismissed!"

* * *

"Um, you wanted t-to see me, Ms. Najenda?" Lilian asked shyly as she approached Najenda who was looking out a window.

"I did." Najenda replied softly. "There's something I want you to have."

Jerking her head beside her, Najenda motioned Lilian to open up a long brown box with gold lining around it.

Slowly opening the box, a long katana. It's blade reflected the sunlight and into Lilian's eyes, forcing her move her head to get a better look.

"There's something I want you to know." Najenda continued. "This group we're after have teigu that we need to try and retrieve. Your blade won't be any use to you when it comes to fighting them which is why I want you have this teigu."

"B-But what about everyone else?" Lilian asked.

"Don't worry, they all have their teigu. They just don't seem to talk about it. Information on your opponent is asking for a target on their back. The less they know about you the better and all the more dangerous."

"B-But…." Lilian tried speaking but was stopped by Najenda.

"Go ahead and take it. I can tell it won't reject you." She smiled.

Lilian nodded her head and picked up the blade. A burst of light and darkness blinded their eyes until it quickly faded away. Najenda looked up to see Lilian standing before her with the sword in her hands.

"Thank you for the teigu." Lilian said with confidence. "I'll be able to help my family now."

"It's a pleasure." Najenda said. "By the way," She spoke, turning her back. "That blade is called Yatsufusa, it has the ability to reanimate corpses, so be careful."

* * *

"Master Hades, we bring word about Night Raid." A small girl bowed before the man.

"What is it?" He asked.

The young girl wore only a breast plate covering her right chest while her legs were protected by black plate legs that had white trimmings around them. Closer to the feet, the heels had two wing like ornaments on either side. Underneath her breast plate, the girl wore a ripped up black shirt that had holes coming from the bottom up. The girl's face was very young, almost pre-teen like. Her white hair was cut short with two small sized pigtails sticking up to resemble cat ears. Her yellow eyes gazed upon Hades as he awaited her report.

"They've added more members to their group. Each one owns a teigu however the specifics are unknown. Our spies couldn't get the intel without being discovered." She replied.

"I see." Hades began to ponder. "Nyx, bring everyone in." He ordered.

Nyx bowed once more before running out only to return minutes later with Hecate, Thanatos and Pluto.

"It seems Night Raid has managed to gain more members and what's more is their unidentified teigu." Hades informed them. "I want you all to eliminate the group, doesn't matter if they live or die, as long as they are out of the way."

"I suggest we end that Akame girl immediately." Pluto suggested. "No doubt her teigu will be a thorn in our side."

"Heh, look at you Pluto. You must be scared of a tiny blade like that." Hecate scoffed.

"Now now, " Thanatos spoke in a creepy tone. "If anyone is to talk about Akame like that it might as well be me...after all, I will be the one to kill her."

"Pretty big words from someone without a teigu." Nyx commented. "If anyone will kill that bitch it will be me."

Hades soon glared at the room, slamming his hand down on his chair.

"I don't care who kills her, as long as Night Raid is out of the way! Now get going! We have a job to do!"

 **So we finally now know the newest members of Night Raid. Not only that, we have all the names and some descriptions of Demon's Grasp. I guess they really see Akame as a threat. Please leave a review on what you think of the characters, what you like, don't like, what you think will happen to them. Also favorite and follow this story as well as tell your friends. Heiwa!**


	5. Meet Your Opponent

**Meet Your Opponent**

"Alright everyone, today is the day you set out on your first mission. However, you will be split into groups." Najenda addressed everyone in the room they all first met in. "The council has discovered troubling news about a possible weapons cache located in a small village south of here. They also received news about a spy who has orders containing sensitive information that we need."

"Then let's go get them right now!" Abel said impatiently.

Najenda held up two fingers. "You will all be in a group; Group A will go after the weapons cache while Group B hunts down the spy. Any questions?"

"Yeah, who's in Group A and B?" Neo raised his hand.

"I'm glad you asked." Najenda said, almost sounding proud of being able to answer the question. "Group A will consist of Akame, Lilian, Juro and Abel. Group B will be you, Iris and Callen. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Juro said.

"Of course." Iris replied.

"I-I hope I'll b-be helpful." Lilian stuttered.

"Now remember one thing." Najenda slammed her hand on the table. "You are all responsible for each other. Make sure you have your friends back as much as they have your back. Godspeed."

"Ugh, why did I get stuck in this group?" Juro complained as they walked down the single road. "I imagine she's probably feeling lonely without me, especially with two creeps around her."

"I'm pretty sure you're the creep." Abel mumbled to himself.

A few hours had passed since Najenda had given them their orders. Akame, Lilian and Abel were beginning to grow tired of Juro's constant whining over him not being paired up in Iris' group.

"S-So what's the n-name of this v-village?" Lilian asked, afraid of bothering Akame.

"It doesn't have a name." Akame replied.

"Doesn't have a name?" Abel questioned.

Akame nodded her head. "During the Empire's final years, most of the small villages around the country went into hiding; completely getting rid of their name so they could survive without the heavy taxes Honest placed on them."

"So how is it that Najenda could find it so easily?" Juro asked, seemingly done with his complaining.

"The Revolutionary Army used to use the village as a weapons cache as well. My theory is that some weapons were left behind and know the Loyalists are using it to their advantage." Akame answered.

"So do you think we'll find some weapons then?" Abel asked. "I'm always interested in some neat new blades."

"It's possible but you won't be allowed to have them; it's a secure or destroy mission. If we find there are too many weapons we'll have to destroy them."

"B-But i-if we f-find a small amount." Lilian began.

"Then we can take 'em back." Juro finished. "I like it."

"But be weary when we do arrive." Akame warned. "It's possible the village isn't aware that the Empire fell or if Loyalists managed to influence everyone."

"Don't worry." Juro smirked. "If there is any trouble, I'll be sure to end it quickly."

"Is that them?" Pluto asked from amongst the trees.

"It looks like them." Nyx said. "Especially since Akame is with them." She began to evilly smile.

"Really?" Thanatos licked his lips. "I guess it's my lucky day then."

"Keep going, he isn't too far from us!" Neo shouted as he, Iris and Callen sprinted through the woods.

"To think someone of his worth could sink so low." Iris said.

"Who is he anyway?" Neo asked. "He's too fast."

"Clearly a spy for the Loyalist." Iris said in a sarcastic tone. "Why else would he be capable of running so fast?"

"Thanks, I could do without the sarcasm though." Neo said.

As they passed a large oak tree, Neo's eyes noticed two figures flying through the air coming straight for them. Without any warning, he grabbed Iris' arm and threw her on the ground, landing on top of her as the two figures crashed next to them. Arriving a minute late, Callen showed up and didn't hesitate to pull out a sword from his waist and lunged straight towards the two figures.

"Well well well, it looks like that's your teigu." A woman's voice said in the dust.

Callen thrust his sword forward, hitting the person in front of him only to hear the sound of metal clanging against each other.

Looking more closely, Callen could see blue hair and a strange mask in front of him before feeling the girl with blue hair fist hit him in the gut, sending him crashing into a tree. Neo immediately got up and pulled out Senketsu while looking to see if Callen was okay. As Callen slowly got up, Neo's eyes went straight towards the sword he was holding in his hand.

"That's...Senketsu!" Neo said in surprise.

"Oh what's this?" The man said. "You two work together but aren't aware of each other's teigu? How strange."

Neo then turned his focus on the two people in front of him, tightly holding Senketsu in his hands.

"We'll talk about this later." He spoke. "Right now, let's focus on these two. Who are you?"

"You don't know us?" The woman said. "Not surprised, after all it's not like our faces have been seen."

Neo's eyes soon widened as the girl rolled up her sleeve to reveal the tattoo of a hand grabbing the world.

"Demon's Grasp." He whispered.

"So you do know about us?" The man said. "Hecate, you were right, he's smarter than he looks."

"Please Hades, let's not be rude." Hecate said. "After all, we just need to deliver a message like you said."

"Hades? Hecate?" Neo questioned before Iris stood straight up.

"The two toughest members in the group." She said. "Both have taken down many villages by themselves."

"I see our reputation exceeds us." Hecate said. "However, our brethren are just as strong as us."

Iris soon raised her hand in the air just as Neo was preparing to charge the two. However, Hecate quickly knocked Iris down on the ground before disarming Neo and knocking him into Callen who was about to strike.

"Weak." She said. "To think Night Raid has members like you three, especially you Neo."

"How do you know my name?" Neo growled.

"That doesn't matter, what matters is your disbandment." Hecate replied.

"Disbandment?" Iris question, still on the ground.

"We want Night Raid to disband, agree and your lives will be spared." Hades answered. "Refuse and….Hecate?" He motioned her.

Neo and Callen's eyes went wide as Hecate slammed her foot on Iris' hand, crushing the bone. Iris let out a terrifying scream in pain as she held her hand while Hecate walked back over to Hades.

"You've been warned." Hades said before taking off.

As Hecate ran after him, she turned her head and looked at Neo.

"It was nice seeing you." She said sweetly before disappearing.

"Did she just smile at me?" Neo questioned.

"Nyx, attack!" Thanatos yelled as he punched Juro in the chest with his palm, causing the man to begin breathing heavy.

Nyx sped past him and went straight for Lilian who was shaking in fear. With a smug look on her face, she got close enough to strike but jumped away quickly as Akame swung Murasame at her, nearly catching her arm.

"Not quick enough." She taunted as she kicked Akame away from her and ran back towards Pluto who had his arrow aimed at Abel who was stuck in a hole.

"Dammit…" Juro mumbled to himself as he held his chest. "Who are you guys?"

"Demon's Grasp." Akame answered him. "Where's the rest of your group?" She looked at Nyx.

"None of your concern for the meantime." Nyx replied yawning. "What you should really be worried about is your squad."

Akame took a small step forward, prepared to fight in case Nyx took the opportunity to catch her off guard. But she knew better, she was trained to well to fall for something like that.

"Listen up, scum of Night Raid!" Nyx stretched her arms out wide like an announcer. "We Demon's Grasp are going to be kind for this day. We may have beaten you but think of it as warning."

"A warning for what?" Abel asked angrily as he struggled to get out of the hole.

"Disband now or die." She grinned. "We'll let you decide, for now we must retreat."

Without another word, Pluto and Thanatos followed her as they threw down a small smoke bomb to cover their escape. Akame and Juro waited to see if they would attack but after the smoke cleared and seeing no sign of the members, they sheathed their weapons.

"Damn bastards." Abel said. "First they get me stuck in this hole and now mock us."

"Easy Abel, there was no telling they would set something up like that." Juro said.

"Lilian, are you okay?" Akame asked, gently placing her hand on Lilian's shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry." She began to tear. "I froze and it n-nearly cost me m-my life."

"It's fine Lilian, at least you couldn't move unlike me." Abel said as Juro helped him out of the whole. "I was completely useless, I vow this will never happen again!"

"Good to hear." Akame said. "Let's head back, I believe they set up the information too."

 **So Night Raid finally meets Demon's Grasp but instead of a fight, it ended up becoming a beating. Why did Demon's Grasp ask them to disband? What will Night Raid do next? Leave a review of what you think and also don't forget to favorite and follow this.**


	6. A Rash Decision

**A Rash Decision**

"Dammit!" Abel slammed his fist on the table. "They were right in front of us and I didn't do a thing."

"Calm down Abel." Najenda spoke. "Everyone else was just as unaware as you. Nobody knew what to expect."

"She's right." Neo agreed. "Even though some of us fought back, whether or not you helped, wouldn't have made a difference."

Abel looked directly at Neo who was staring at him. A serious look on his face to him wasn't any different from the next person's.

Without another word, Abel stood up from his chair and left the room; slamming the door behind him.

Najenda sighed. "I would send you after him but I'm not sure if it will help." She looked at Akame.

"Let's focus on that later." Neo suggested. "Right now, we need to figure out how they knew where we would be."

"True. Our intel we gathered from our scouts but after interrogating them they proved to be loyal to the new government." Najenda began to think.

"It's possible they were given false information." Akame said.

"But why not kill us then?" Neo asked. "They only beat us then warned us to disband."

"Maybe it's possible they have no intention of winning over bloodshed." Najenda suggested. "They wouldn't be the first group to attempt that."

"No, I believe they did intend to harm, even kill, us if we didn't comply." Neo said. "But still…." He began thinking back to when Hecate winked at him. "Have I met her before?"

"Regardless we now know how our opponent operates." Najeda continued, pulling a cigarette out. "For the meantime we need to treat each mission more carefully; who knows when they'll strike."

* * *

"God damn people…." Abel muttered to himself as he walked down the hallway. "I'll show them not to mess with me."

As he turned the corner, he felt another person bump into him while hearing the crashing of something glass.

Looking down, he noticed Lilian on the ground, holding her head. Next to her was a half broken glass filled with water that seeped into the carpet. Tiny shards lay all around the cup as Lilian picked herself up, careful to not put her hand on the glass.

"I-I'm sorry!" She apologized, bowing to the large man. "I-It was an a-accident."

"Don't worry little one, as long as no one was hurt." Abel smiled before recalling his previous thoughts. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to do."

"W-Wait!" Lilian grabbed onto his arm. "C-Can I help? I-It's the l-least I can d-do."

" _Hmm, more people would make this easier._ " Abel began to think before nodding his head. "Sure, why not?"

"T-Thank you."

" _Maybe we should bring one more to be safe."_

"What are you two doing?" A cold voice asked them.

Abel and Lilian turned their heads to see Callen standing near them. His grim expression was something neither of them could get used to. Before Lilian could speak, Abel covered her mouth with his hand and looked directly into Callen's eyes.

"Come with us." Abel ordered. "We could use your help."

"With what?" Callen asked, uninterested.

"I...I have an errand to do." Abel lied.

"And if I refuse?" Callen asked.

"You'll find out later." Abel frowned. "Now, are you coming or not?"

* * *

"So why did we have to sneak out of the castle this late?" Callen asked.

The three of them had snuck out of the castle and the city in disguise. They all soon found themselves in the woods near the southern mountains, close to Mt. Fake. The moon was hardly out so it made searching even more difficult for the three.

"C-Couldn't the guards l-let us t-through?" Lilian asked scared.

"We can't let anyone know we're leaving." Abel informed them. "It's top secret."

"Did Najenda give you the orders?" Callen asked.

"You know, for someone who doesn't care for others, you sure do talk a lot." Abel commented.

"That's because i have a giant idiot and a broken record to look after." Callen said.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Abel said.

"Since we're out here and it's top secret with us involved, mind telling us what we're doing?" Callen asked as they reached the base of one of the mountains.

"I suppose I should tell you now." Abel sighed. "The reason we're out here is to hunt down a member of Demon's Grasp and kill him. And no, Najenda didn't tell me, I'm doing this on my own."

"What?" Callen sounded surprise.

"Oh no." Lilian began to panic.

"You fool! Do you have any idea how stupid this is?" Callen shouted at him as he began to run back towards the capital. "We're dead if they catch us like thi-"

Suddenly, Thanatos appeared from the shrubs; knocking out Callen instantly as Lilian and Abel watched in surprise. Soon, Hecate appeared near Lilian and grabbed her head, slamming it into the ground knocking her out as well.

Abel froze with fear before realizing his situation and drew out two arm blades from his fore arms.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Thanatos asked.

"It seems they ignored our message." Hecate answered. "I suppose them coming to us makes it easier though."

"Certainly," Thanatos grinned. "I'll deal with the brute while you finish the other two off."

"Wait." Hecate said before he could charge Thanatos. "Why don't we ask them a few questions before killing them? It'll make our jobs even easier than they are now."

"Then we can kill them after?" Thanatos asked.

"Certainly." Hecate smirked, as Thanatos licked his lips from happiness.

"You hear that brute? We're letting you live for just a little longer."

Soon, Thanatos and Hecate disappeared from Abel's sight. Unable to determine where they would come, he made a mad dash to Lilian and Callen only to feel a large object hit him in the back of the head, turning everything dark.

* * *

"Ab…..wa- p!" A fuzzy voice yelled.

"Huh?" Abel questioned.

"Abel, wake up!" The voice began to get clearer.

Abel's eyes adjusted on a small campfire. Next to him, he could feel a woman's arm as the voice from before continued talking. He could feel his arms tied to a wooden pole behind him, making it uncomfortable to sit.

"You idiot!" The voice said. "Look what you got us into!"

"I-I don't want to d-die!" Lilian cried.

"Callen? Lilian? A-Are you alright?" Abel asked. "Where are we?"

"Their campsite." Callen informed him. "It seems it's only the two of them though."

"I see." Abel said looking down. "Where's our teigu's?" He suddenly remembered, not feeling metal on his arms.

"On that table on the other side." Callen told him.

"Damn." Abel said as he struggled to stand up.

"It's useless, they're good with their knots."

"Well now what?" Abel asked. "We have to get out of this."

"Ha! You're asking us how to get out?" Callen laughed. "I knew you were a big stupid idiot, and you stop crying!" He shouted at Lilian, hushing her up.

"I-I'm sorry." Lilian sniffed.

"This is pointless, we're going to die now because of this guy." Callen continued to complain.

"Um, C-Callen?" Lilian asked.

"What?" He asked angrily.

"W-Why are you s-so cold t-towards people?"

"Why would you care?" Callen asked. "It's not like it will matter."

"W-Well, we a-are a t-team." Lilian said. "W-We should at least know a-about each other b-before we d-die."

"I hate to agree with her, but she's right." Abel sighed. "Even if I did get us in this mess, might as well make the most of it."

Callen sighed. "Do you two really want to know why I don't like people?"

Lilian and Abel both nodded their heads.

"It was six years ago." Callen began, he could feel the warmth of the fire reaching him. "I was a soldier in the Empire and did constant scouting missions. It was because of us that the Empire was able to exploit the lands it had. However, during one of the missions, several members in my unit sold us out to a small enemy force. Everyone, even the traitors, were killed. Somehow I managed to escape but after that I was branded a traitor and sent to prison. Luckily though, a riot happened and I broke out with other inmates and we went our separate ways. I was soon found by the Revolutionary Army that was still growing at the time. Once again, I found myself doing recon missions but each one always had a traitor to the point I decided to do recon by myself."

"So you think everyone's a traitor then?" Abel asked.

"Yes, I even think you may be one or this….girl." He eyed Lilian. "How am I supposed to believe that we happen to come across those two bastards?"

"I-It could have b-been a c-coincidence." Lilian suggested.

"Yeah right." Callen rolled his eyes. "Anyway, since I told you my story, how about you tell us yours? You mentioned prison in the meeting?"

Lilian turned her head to look at Abel who was staring at the ground. Sweet began to drip from his face but neither could tell if it was because of the fire's warmth or he was troubled by something else.

"A-Abel?" Lilian asked.

"It hasn't been a year since the incident." Abel spoke softly. "I was a arms for hire and protected wealthy mob lords. Was it wrong? Sure. Did I care? As long as I got paid. However, during an escort, a few assassins manage to kill the man I was supposed to protect. Soon the military arrived and it was made clear that the military were following this guy around. Me and several others were arrested while the rest fled or were killed."

"And that's how you ended in prison." Callen summed it up.

Abel could only nod his head.

"To this day, I remind myself that I shouldn't have taken the job."

"Are you sure there weren't any traitors?" Callen asked.

"No, I belonged to a certain organization that has it's ways with its members. If you're as so much suspected to be a spy, they won't hesitate to kill you."

"I see."

"U-Um guys?" Lilian asked.

"Not now Lilian." Callen said. "If you want to tell your story go ahead, but I'm trying to figure a way out."

"I thought you were going to let us die?" Abel said.

"I decided that I should at least try and survive." Callen smirked. "After all, it's not often I come up in these situations."

"So how do you propose we get out of this?"

"B-By standing up." Lilian said.

Both Abel and Callen watched dumbfounded as Lilian stood up. In her hand was a long piece of rope that had previously had them tied together. Abel began to laugh as he stood up and tightly hugged Lilian, commenting on a good job. Callen stood up as well and ran over to the table, grabbing their teigus.

"Good, now that we're out, let's get going before they-"

"Leaving so soon?" Thanatos asked as he jumped from the shadows.

Lilian froze in fear before being pushed out of the way by Abel as he blocked Thanatos' attack with his arm blades. Callen soon pulled a weapon from thin air and lunged straight for Thanatos who reluctantly dodged the attack and landed on the other side on the campfire.

"Oh? You managed to break free?" He questioned. "We'll since you're willing to put up a fight I won't complain." He said as he prepared for another attack. "After all, the faces you'll make as I kill you will be worth it."

"Abel, grab Lilian and get out of here." Callen ordered. "I'll hold him off."

"Not a chance." Abel said as he prepared to fight as well. "I said I'll kill one of these bastards and that's something I aim to do."

"Same here." Lilian said as she pointed her sword at Thanatos.

"Oh, so you can speak clearly now?" Thanatos grinned at Lilian. "To think we thought you had a brain malfunction."

"That's enough out of you." Lilian said. "This is where you end."

"What? No! Lilian, Abel get out of here!" Callen yelled.

"Callen, there's three of us and one of him. What can he possibly do? He doesn't even have a teigu." Abel informed him.

"What can I possibly do?" Thanatos question. "Well how about I show you."

Without another word, he disappeared into the shadows. Callen, getting nervous turned to Lilian and grabbed her arm.

"You guys need to leave now!" I'll hold him off!"

"What's the matter with you?" Lilian question. "You sound like you know who he is."

"That's because he does my dear." Thanatos said before jumping from the shadow straight for her.

Lilian deflected his attack and kicked him away only for him to block with his arms but still sent away from her. Abel soon jumped from behind him and swung with his arm blades only to miss as Thanatos slid underneath him and uppercut him.

Without wasting time, Lilian charged him but found herself facing the wrong way as Thanatos appeared from behind her. Flawlessly moving, he karate chopped her side, breaking several ribs as the sound of bones cracking pleased him.

"Yes, that's what I want to hear." He smiled. "Now scream for me."

As he slammed his foot into the back of her head, Thanatos noticed Callen charging at him with a set of arm blades, like Abel's. Smiling, he used the flat side of the blades to push himself off and away while sending Lilian crashing into Abel.

"Oh, tired already?" Thanatos taunted. "But we've just begun."

"Lilian! Are you okay?" Abel asked as he held her in his arms.

"She's unconscious." Callen said. "This isn't good, quick get her out of here."

"Are you kidding? No way!" Abel argued. "I can still fight!"

"But what if he manages to get Lilian? She can't protect herself in her state."

"But...but…."

"Just go!" Callen yelled as he changed weapons and threw a small knife at Abel, purposely missing.

"Callen…"

"I can handle him just fine. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you." Callen nodded his head at Abel before looking back at Thanatos.

Resisting the urge to fight, Abel carried Lilian away as he made his way back to the capital.

"Oh no you don't!" Thanatos yelled as he charged after them.

As he neared them, he jumped back several feet as a sharp blade passed by his face, cutting off several ends off his hair.

"You're opponent is me." Callen said as he prepared to attack again.

"Oh, how interesting. I can't see but from what i can tell is that you've used three?...no four weapons. Tell me, what kind of teigu is capable of doing that?"

Callen held up his hand revealing a small ring with a mirror on it.

"This teigu is known as Joker: Fake Imitation. It allows me to draw any teigu I know of or can see." Callen answered.

"Hmm, how exciting. So that means you can easily copy Murasame and be finished with me?"

Callen shook his head. "That's not how it works. But, I don't have time to be telling you much." Called said as he equipped two arm blades. "I'm going to end you with this one strike."

"Oh, now you've really got my attention. How about this then? We both attack, no dodging and no defending. We'll truly see who's got the skill for a one strike kill." Thanatos grinned. "So what do you say?"

"Seeing as I can't trust you, I might as well." Callen said as he prepared to charge. "But don't complain if you lose."

"Oh, I don't plan to lose." Thanatos prepared himself as well.

The two looked at each other as the night stayed silent. Only the crackling of the fire kept them calm. Callen had two arms blades on his forearms and Thanatos had no weapon.

" _Stay focus and strike his left arm then go for his heart._ " Callen told himself.

Soon, the sound of a bird singing in the distance sent the two charging at the other. Callen reached forward, yelling at the top of his lungs as he struck Thanatos' arm, cleanly cutting it off. However, as he went to strike his heart next, he could feel Thanatos right hand slam into his throat, breaking his windpipe just as his blade went into the Demon's Grasp member's heart.

"B-Bastard…" Thanatos spoke before falling on the ground, holding his chest. "Heh, at least you took the worse…..the worse damage." He grinned before coughing up blood.

Callen held his throat as he gasped for air. The pair of arm blades disappeared as he dropped to his knees trying to get any oxygen into his system. But, he couldn't, as his face turned pale and he slowly collapsed to the ground until he stopped breathing entirely.

"Heh...stupid kid." Thanatos chuckled. "I….win." He smiled before letting out the rest of his breath.

"Thanatos! Where are you?" Hecate shouted as she entered the camp. "Huh?"

As she looked at the blood on the ground, her eyes caught onto both Thanatos and Callen, both lying dead on the ground.

"Thanatos you stupid man." She mocked him. "This is what happens to weak men."

As she walked over to Thanatos' body, she noticed Callen's ring shine. Picking up his hand, she took the ring off and threw it on the ground, stomping on it until it shattered to pieces.

"Hades won't like this but then again, your death means nothing to me." She said as she looked at Thanatos' body one last time before kicking the campfire over it and Callen's.

"Night Raid, don't think you can take us all on."

 **And so the bloodshed begins with Callen and Thanatos being the first ones to go. Be honest, who did you think would be the first to die? Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter considering it was quite lengthy. Please be sure to leave a review and favorite/ follow this because it's now getting good. Don't forget to share this with your friends. Heiwa!**


	7. Regrets

**Regrets**

No one spoke. The room they all were in was silent. Abel continued to look at the ground in disappointment, Lilian still in his arms unconscious. Neo was shocked as well as he struggled to say a thing. Juro clenched his fists as he angrily stared at Abel.

"Who...Who did this?" He demanded. "Who killed him?"

Abel didn't respond. Getting angrier, Juro walked up to him and punched him, nearly knocking Lilian out of his hands. Akame quickly grabbed Juro and tripped him onto the floor, glaring at him.

"Enough." She said.

"But Akame, they have to pay!" Juro argued. "Are we seriously just going to let them-"

"And what good will it do if you die?!" Akame shouted. "I remember someone just like you. He wanted to get revenge but we manage to persuade him to stay. Even if you went out and tried to get revenge, you'll just end up as one more number to the body pile."

"Akame is right." Najenda said before angrily staring at Abel. "Whose idea was it to leave the castle?"

"It….It was mine." Abel said. "Lilian had nothing to do with it nor Callen. I didn't tell them…"He began to tear up. "I didn't tell them until the last minute!"

Abel soon fell to his knees, Lilian still in his arms. Neo walked over to him and picked up Lilian from his arms and began to walk away.

"I'm getting her to a doctor." He said before leaving the room.

"Akame," Najenda said. "Escort Juro and Iris out of here. I want a word with Abel."

"Yes ma'am." Akame agreed as she helped Juro up.

Najenda patiently waited until the door was fully shut. Slowly, she then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, taking a deep puff from it before exhaling the toxic smoke. Without any other word, she quickly rushed Abel by firing her mechanical arm, knocking the large man down.

"You idiot! Do you realize how much of a stupid half ass plan that was?" She shouted at him. "Not only that, but you nearly endangered not only their lives but the rest of Night Raid's lives!"

I'm...I'm sorry." Abel silently said.

"Sorry?" Najenda mocked. "Sorry doesn't compare to the countless people who could've also been killed if they got information from you."

Najenda spat out her cigarette and crushed it with her foot, extinguishing the embers that were still lit on the tobacco. Reeling her arm back in, she walked over and looked out at the night sky from the window. The silence in the room was disturbing but Abel knew it was the consequence he deserved.

"Three weeks." She finally spoke.

"Ma'am?"

"Three weeks probation." Najenda clarified. "You are to stay here and do meaningless chores. If you so much as decide to pull another stunt like that I won't hesitate to have you sent back to prison or have Akame kill you. Understood?"

Abel looked at Najenda who was still glaring at him. He didn't respond but simply nodded his head before standing up and leaving the room.

* * *

"You can't honestly expect me to stay here and not do anything? Do you?" Juro asked Akame who had guarded the door.

"If you did the same thing as Abel, someone would surely die." Akame told him. "Our opponent aren't something we can be relaxed about."

"Yeah, but still-"

Juro suddenly felt the slap of a cold hand across his face. Akame didn't move, while Juro fell onto the ground; his cheek warm from the slap.

"Ow!" He shouted before looking at Iris. "Why did you do that?"

Iris was breathing heavily, her hand still stretched out from when she slapped him.

"Do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now?" She asked him. "I thought members of the Hidden Guard would be prepared mentally for this kind of thing…..I guess I was wrong."

"Wh-What does that mean?" Juro asked.

"She means you're not thinking straight." Akame answered. "I understand how you feel losing a teammate but remember that the enemy can use our emotions against us."

Before Juro could argue back, he stopped just as he opened his mouth. As started thinking back to his days in training from how the drill sergeant would mentally break them, he had nearly forgotten about it.

"You're right…" He smirked. "How can I be so stupid in forgetting something that important." As he slowly stood up, he turned to look at Akame then Iris with a smile on his face. "Forgive me, my actions were not respectful."

"As long as you're fine." Akame smiled.

"I suppose a gentleman as yourself is capable of correcting his mistakes." Iris commented.

"Oh my love." Juro suddenly dropped to one knee, grabbing Iris' hand. "You have such a way with words. Please be mine."

Iris' eye began to twitch before she kicked Juro's chin; knocking him on the ground yet leaving him with a happy loving face.

"Don't think that means I like you!" She shouted at him. "I've told you already before, I've no interest in you!"

* * *

"So Thanatos is no more?" Hades asked.

"Correct my master." Hecate replied, kneeling before him. "I've managed to dispose of his body and the assassin's as well."

"And what of the assassin's teigu?" Hades asked. "I assume you could tell what it was?"

"Yes, master." Hecate bowed once more before looking at the man. "His teigu was a ring that allowed him to summon any other teigu he either remembered or could see. However, it no longer exists after I destroyed it."

"Good. Now then, let us proceed with plans. Thanatos' death hasn't interrupted us." Hades reminded her.

"Of course. Hywel has agreed to store weapons cache's along the southern border."

"Excellent."

"He also would like to meet with you tomorrow at the coordinates he has written on this note. I have not confirmed the area yet." Hecate added as she gave him a slip of paper.

"No doubt he wants so form of payment." Hades assumed. "Very well, prepare two bags. I'll simply tell him it's the start. After we overthrow the government, he can have as much money as he wants."

 **It looks like Thanatos wasn't part of their plan so his death meant nothing. On the other hand, it looks like some members of Night Raid are struggling to cope with Callen's death. Now, with Lilian's injury, only five of them are capable to face Demon's Grasp. What will Najenda plan to do on her next move? Find out next chapter. Be sure to leave a review and also favorite/follow this story. Heiwa!**


	8. One Month Search

**A One Month Search**

"I'm glad you all could make it today." Najenda said as she entered the room.

Everyone sat in their usual spots like they had since they first met together. The only difference was the empty chair between Juro and Neo. A small flower was placed on the seat by Lilian as she claims it's her village's way of remembering those who died.

Abel had recently changed his attire to wear a long white robe with the kanji symbol for 'friendship' and 'protect' on either shoulder. Lilian has even begun attempting to speak clearer but still stutters most of the time.

"Lilian, how are your wounds?" Najenda asked as she looked out the window, examining a small blue jay making its nest on the other side.

"Better!" Lilian said confidently.

"Ah, so you're starting to talk clearer now?" Neo asked.

Lilian shook her head. "It's the pain medication." She smiled as she held up a tiny bottle, surprising Neo.

"Alright, let's get this meeting started!" Najenda said as she approached the table. "Because after this, I won't see any of you for a while."

The entire table seemed confused. Juro tried thinking of a reason such as Najenda skipping out of town but was immediately scolded by Iris for thinking such a thought.

"Najenda, what do you mean a while?" Neo asked.

"This meeting is to split you off into groups of two to gather information on Demon's Grasp." Najenda informed him. "As of the moment, we don't know anything about them or their intentions. We can only sum that they want to take control of the government."

"So by a while, you mean we'll be gone for like a week?" Juro asked.

Najenda shook her head. "Just a month."

"Three months?!" Juro, Lilian and Neo shouted at the simultaneously.

"That's right." Najenda said. "For the next month you'll be gathering intel on Demon's Grasp members. But also remember your submission: take down the Loyalist Army. If you find even a small hint towards either group, _do not_ hesitate to investigate it. We can't allow a group that dangerous to slip away so easily."

"So what will the groups be?" Abel asked.

"Right." Najenda cleared her throat. "The first group will investigate the capital here. Their job is to interrogate anyone who could possibly have info on anything we need. The reason why we need a small team here is we believe spies get their information in local pubs and bars. The second group is in charge of investigating the village's to the south. Thanks to Lilian and Abel, we were able to reduce the search area to the south of the capital. This team will be gone the longest and possibly have a higher risk of getting caught, so I must tell you this. Do. Not. Engage. The. Enemy. Am I clear?"

Everyone nodded their head except Juro who fell asleep.

"The last team will handle the Loyalist Army. Their job is to destroy weapons cache and stop runners. Of course if any information of Demon's Grasp comes up make that your priority. But for now, focus on the Loyalist."

"So who are in these teams?" Neo asked.

"The first group will be you and Akame." Najenda looked at him, a small disappointed look came over Akame.

"I think Akame wants to go out in the woods." Neo assumed. "She's probably going to have it rough without any danger beast meat."

"Don't care. The second group will be Juro and Iris, they will-"

"Iris my love!" Juro shot wide awake after hearing their names.

Wasting no time, he rushed over to Iris but ended up with another foot in his face. At the same time, the back of his head slammed against Abel's arm blade, nearly knocking him out.

"For pete's sakes, why do I have to be partnered with him?" Iris asked. "Couldn't I be partnered with someone more….normal? Like Neo!" She blushed as she looked at him. "You and I would make the perfect team; would we not?"

"Uh….." Neo was at a lost for words.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you why or not." Najenda said, scratching the back of her head. "Anyway, the last group will be Abel and Lilian. Since you've both worked together and return somewhat alive, I feel your chances of survival might be greater."

"So why not put us in searching for Demon's Grasp then?" Abel asked.

"Yeah. It's not like we can't handle them ourselves." Lilian added.

"True, but since Hecate knows your face it's likely she'll spot you first, unlike Iris with whom she's only met once."

"I'll have you know that witch had my face in the dirt!" Iris argued. "It was so filthy."

"Right…." Najenda rolled her eye. "Anyway, you all have your orders. I don't expect most of you to make it so….good luck! And remember, don't come back until a month after."

"Yes ma'am!" Neo said.

"Mmhmm." Abel nodded.

"Yes!" Lilian cheered.

"Of course." Iris bowed her head.

"Roger." Akame blankly said.

"O-On it." Juro said dizzily. "Wait what did she say about making it?"

* * *

"Master Hades, it seems Night Raid is finally making a move." Pluto informed the man.

"Not surprised; after all, they took out Thanatos." Hades shrugged his shoulders. "Then again, he was the weakest one."

"Of course my master." Pluto agreed. "Anyone who fights a teigu without one is pretty much a lost cause."

"To think that blind idiot trained with the prestigious Rakshasa Demons." Nyx said as she walked in with Hecate.

"Now now Nyx, we all need to respect the dead." Pluto waved his finger. "If not then surely the spirits will come haunt you and make you go mad."

"Spirits? Ha! Like they really exist." Nyx scoffed. "That idiot was the same as the other four, two whom which got taken down by a boy nonetheless."

"Well Night Raid had some pretty intelligent people." Pluto argued. "They didn't survive that long without thinking their fights."

"Whatever." Nyx said. "Master Hades, what did you call us for today anyway?"

"I've summoned you all here to tell you we will be going quiet for sometime." Hades told them, surprising Hecate and Nyx.

"Wha-What do you mean?" Hecate asked. "Are you disbanding the group?"

"Foolish girl, of course not!" Hades said in a deep voice. "We've word that Night Raid will be trying to obtain information on us. So in that time, we will stay quiet."

"But what about the plans?" Hecate asked.

"The plans are still set and we can go at any moment when we'd like." Pluto answered.

"Then why not now?" Nyx asked.

"While we are ready, it's best not to rush things." Pluto said.

"Heh, who put you in charge?" Nyx asked.

"Nyx, you hurt me. You know fully well that Master Hades is in charge." Pluto placed a hand over his heart, pretending to have it broken.

"You will follow my orders after a month has passed. Understand? The time to take the capital will soon be upon us." Hades said as he held a fist into the air.

"What shall we do then?" Nyx asked.

"Well I'm going to go train. Maybe a nice village on another continent will be nice." Hecate said as she walked away.

"Typical." Nyx tsked. "Always trying to be a great fighter like her."

"Nyx, what will you do?" Pluto asked.

"Sleep obviously. I hate all this running around."

"Yet you posses a teigu that allows you to run quickly?"

"And tire me out faster. Sheesh!" Nyx exclaimed as she left.

"Pluto." Hades said.

"Yes my master?"

"I want you to keep an eye on Hecate."

"Why is that?"

"The other day, we met someone _important_ to her. If she met that person, I fear she will betray us."

"Of course master. I'll keep an eye on her, though I doubt she's the type of person to do something like that."

"Of course she's not, but somehow….I get a bad feeling if those two meet again, blood will be shed."

"Trying to prevent a bloodbath with blood is really difficult, but I'll follow your orders."

"Good. Oh and one more thing, enough of the crappy metaphors. That last one didn't make any sense."

"And neither do I master." Pluto said as he exited the room.

 **Don't worry guys, I'm not abandoning this story, this is just something new I'm trying out with the other stories I'm writing. So starting today, I will not be updating this story until August 1st with the chapter being titled "Back in Action". So for now, I will be posting the long awaited, most anticipated story in my collection out of all the other ones, Empire High II. That's right, the first chapter has been posted. If it's not showing up, just wait about half an hour and it should. Of course I will be doing the same thing with Empire High II like I am with this story. So when August 1st hits, I'll move over from Empire to Betrayal. You can expect these stories to possibly be done around September or October, no later than November. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the first part of the story I like to call the Night Raid Revival Arc. Heiwa!**

 **Oh and one last thing, I want to see what you guys think about me splitting sections of my stories into different months. I'll have a poll going and it's simple. Vote yes if you're okay or vote No if you want me to update every month instead of every other month. I'll also ask this question in Empire High II.**


	9. Back in Action

**Back in Action**

Najenda slowly took a puff from the tiny remains of her cigarette. The tiny embers near the end faded away as the smoke from the tobacco came out of her mouth. The day was just beginning for her too. Waking up, reporting to the council and managing information on the Loyalist's. However, she knew today was going to be even crazier. Today was the day they returned after three months.

"So they're finally coming home." She smiled to herself as she flicked her cigarette in the garbage can.

As she walked into the room from the balcony, two soldiers were waiting for her. One was dressed fully and stood at attention. The other had a uniform marking him as an officer. He was bald all around his face and the top of his head, making it almost possible for Najenda to see her reflection. The man's face was clean too. Not a single scratch or dirt could be seen.

As she neared the two, the bald man motioned her to take a seat at the table. On it was a small paper and next to it was a wet cloth soaking in a small bowl.

"Najenda, we have some news you may be interested in." The bald man said as he sat down and slid the paper over to her.

"I think I may know what it is." Najenda said, picking up the paper and carefully reading it before setting it down. "Prepare the meeting room if you would." She ordered the officer. "Also bring in several maps and boards and some refreshments if you'd please."

"Will that be all, ma'am?" The bald officer asked.

"Let me think…" She said as she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and found it empty. "I suppose, if it wouldn't hurt, to bring me another pack to the meeting room as well?"

The officer bowed, as did the soldier, before leaving Najenda alone in the room.

Taking a deep breath, she looked out the window and noticed the same blue jay, three months ago, had successfully laid it's eggs in the nest it built. It was soon greeted by another blue jay that settled itself on top of the eggs to keep them warm.

"If only life could be as simple." Najenda spoke to herself before looking back at the piece of paper the officer brought in.

 _To: Night Raid_

 _All members are to report to meeting room 2-A. Any injuries will be checked by the M.D. All members will be subjected to interrogation for one hour unless proven to be truthful._

* * *

Najenda opened up the door to the meeting room. There, she found all the Night Raid members still alive and in one piece. Akame, like usual, had a plate of food with her while Neo prepared notes from their findings. Abel observed the blue jay that had made it's way towards the window close to him. Iris and Juro were busy dealing with each other, as Iris tried keeping Juro far away from her as possible. Lilian was shaking from the thought of presenting information to everyone.

She had changed a bit, at least clothing wise. Instead of her usual tattered clothing, she now had actual clothes with no holes in them. On her arms, she wore a pair of gauntlets, like Akame, but blue. She now wore a turnover outfit consisting of a white gold-trimmed jacket with six buttons and a few golden tassels strewn across. She has a small armband, wrapped around her right arm with the word 'family' scribed onto it. She also wears a short gold-trimmed white skirt and boots of similar colors to her jacket, accentuated by black tights underneath.

"That's a new look for you, Lilian." Neo commented after setting his papers down.

"W-Well, I-I figured I n-needed a new look t-too." She replied, stuttering like usual.

"That's usually for people who….You know what, it doesn't matter. It's a good look on you." Neo smiled, causing Lilian to blush from embarrassment.

"Neo, my darling, how do I look?" Iris asked, standing in an elegant pose.

"You look absolutely wonderful!" Juro shouted as he tried hugging her while Neo awkwardly watched Iris beat Juro up.

"It's nice to be back, but I think I could do without Romeo and Mr. Hyde over here." Abel sighed as he continued to gaze upon the birds.

"What did you just call me?" Iris angrily asked after throwing Juro into a wall.

Najenda quickly cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. Apparently, they must've not known she was there, since she scared Lilian a little.

As everyone quickly went to their seats, Najenda walked over to several of the boards she had asked the officer to set up for them. Each board contained information about Demon's Grasp and the Loyalist's army. There was enough, even to surprise her.

"I'm glad to see you are all alive." Najenda finally spoke since entering the room. "These past three months must be hard on all of you since you've done nothing but obtain information."

She looked around the table to see a few nods in agreement.

"Well, that's all about to change after today." She continued, causing everyone to sit up. "After today, we will finally hunt down and eliminate Demon's Grasp. Of course, the information you've all received might not be reliable, but it's our best bet. So without going on any further, I would like to hear what you've obtained so I may create plans with the higher ups."

Akame and Neo didn't hesitate to present as they walked over to their board with a map of the capitol on it. Several x's and o's were drawn as well as arrows along the wall that defends the city.

"After the first week of investigating, we've stumbled on a possible siege of the city." Neo began. "We decided to look more into it and discovered that the Loyalist army is planning on taking over the government with Demon's Grasp leading them."

"Do you know when?" Najenda asked, deeply disturbed.

"The date we couldn't receive." Akame said. "They start when a signal is given but we aren't too sure of the signal either."

"Alright, anything else?"

The two shook their heads before sitting back down. Abel and Lilian soon stood up next; Lilian shaking more than before.

"We believe we have a name of an arms dealer that works for Demon's Grasp." Abel said, getting straight to the point.

Lilian began putting up pictures of a bald man with scars all over his head. In most of his pictures, he is shown talking with several military people who are Loyalist soldiers.

"This man is known as Hywel the Black. He runs the weapons that are being stored in several safe houses for the Loyalists. Just recently, he has met with Demon's Grasp and agreed to supply a large number of weapons including cannons."

"But how does he get the weapons?" Iris asked.

"He runs a small factory hidden in the woods. Of course, we only saw the outside but near the back is a large depot of wagons that are constantly being loaded with guns and such." Abel answered.

"W-We also know w-where he tends to s-stay often." Lilian finally spoke.

"His residence is in the village of Oak Creek." Abel finished her sentence. "Starting tomorrow and for the next month, he will be staying there until his next meeting with Demon's Grasp."

"We can't let that happen." Neo said. "We should kill him now."

"He also has information on the Demon's Grasp members as well." Abel continued, catching everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Najenda asked curiously. "

"This is my opinion but I believe Hywel may be friends with some members of Demon's Grasp. So it's possible he had records on them, just like his other clients, only these records he keeps hidden."

"Records?" Juro asked.

Abel nodded his head. "In one of the weapons caches we stumbled upon, we found a small file that had information about one his clients. Of course, the man on the file was dead but the surprising thing is is he updates them regularly."

"So what you're saying is, if we get his files on Demon's Grasp…."

"Then we know everything about Demon's Grasp." Najenda finished Juro's sentence.

"Correct." Abel nodded his head.

 **Man, it's already been a month? You guys must be very patient, or bored, since I haven't updated this in a while. My other stories are coming along well too. Empire High II and Raise the Level seem to be the top two contenders for first place among my new stories….Just thought I'd share that with you guys….what's that? You don't care? *sigh* Didn't think so. Anyway, I know Night Raid has finally returned but it looks like they're already itching to fight. So why don't we skip the boring stuff and get right to it?**

 **So I do have some important news to tell you guys. Like I've told the others in my other stories, I won't be updating every five days. Instead, it will be a usual update whenever I get the chance. Don't be discouraged, I'm just finding it a little harder to keep three stories update around the same time and making everyone happy and that's not working out so well. So please keep in mind that if I don't update one week it doesn't mean I've given up on the story. I will see this through to the end just like my other ones.**

 **Leave a review about what you thought or what you think will happen now. Don't forget to favorite or follow this story. Heiwa!**


	10. Surprise!

**Surprise!**

 _ **Eastern Sea Docks**_

"Damn, how did it get like this?" Neo asked as he picked himself up from the ground.

Akame didn't move at all, her sword still pointed at Hecate, who approached them casually, unshaken by Akame's silent stare.

"Neo." Akame said.

Neo looked up at the red eye assassin as she tightly gripped her sword. Hecate was drawing closer to them and it was difficult enough to even land a blow on her.

"I got it." Neo sighed as he stood up and pointed his blade at Hecate. "I guess we don't have much of a choice." He smiled, eager to start the fight.

Hecate soon stopped after noticing Neo's determination to fight. She slightly blushed before slapping her cheeks, confusing both Neo and Akame.

"I have something I want to talk with you about." Hecate said.

"Yeah right!" Neo said as he charged her.

Hecate sighed and stood perfectly still as Neo neared her. Soon, a quick flash appeared in Neo's eyes and before he knew it, he was back on the ground.

Akame tightened her grip even more and cautiously approached Neo.

"Neo, are you okay?" She asked, not taking her eyes of Hecate.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, slowly standing up.

"Listen you lightweight." A voice echoed through the air. "Hecate only wants to talk but if it weren't for her, you both be dead already."

Suddenly Nyx appeared next to Hecate, leaning against the woman's arm and enjoying the comfort.

Neo and Akame both stood absolutely still, swords still in hands. They both knew not to trust any member of Demon's Grasp but what Nyx said was true. If Hecate wasn't there, they would've been dead.

"What do you want?" Neo asked.

* * *

 _ **2 Days Earlier**_

"Alright, after going through your files I've decided we must act now!" Najenda informed everyone as she slammed a large stack of papers on the table.

Juro took a small peek at what the papers said but turned bright red after reading, "How to Find a Man" on the front cover.

"Akame and Neo, you are to head to the Eastern Docks." She ordered them.

"Why?"

"We have intel that two Demon's Grasp members are there from our scouts." Najenda said as she crossed her arms. "But, since we've been silent so have they. I want you both to be careful. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Akame nodded.

"Next, I want Abel and Lilian to start a small search for the weapons caches. No doubt if we get rid of them, the Loyalist Army won't stand much a chance."

"Got it." Abel said.

"O-Okay!" Lilian stuttered like usual.

"And last but not least, the two uncomfortable love birds." Najenda said as she looked at Juro getting punched by an angry Iris. "Huh, I can't believe I somehow ended up pairing you both again but your mission is important and requires the two of you."

"W-What!?" Iris shrieked. "I can't be left with this...this...moron!"

"Finally, another chance with my love." Juro said dizzily before having his head slammed on the desk by Iris.

"You butt out!"

"Iris, you should really try to be nicer to him." Neo said, giving Iris a loving smile.

"Oh Neo, you're the only one I wish to be with." She said as she tried hugging him but was stopped as Neo placed his hand on her face to keep her away.

Neo sighed. "Anyway, is there anything else we should know?" Neo asked Najenda.

Najenda shook her head. "You have your orders. Move out when you and your partner are ready! If I catch anyone who hasn't left in the next hour, I will personally escort you out myself." She clenched her mechanical arm, scaring Lilian.

"Wait!" Juro shouted. "What do we do?"

"You and Iris are to find and eliminate Hywel. He's been located somewhere in Riverside Village."

* * *

 _ **Riverside Village Outskirts (Present Day)**_

"Ugh, I can't believe _that_ woman paired me up with you again." Iris ranted as she and Juro walked down a dirt path leading to a small village.

"It can't be that bad." Juro said as he pointed at himself. "After all I'm with you!"

Iris collapsed to the ground, depressed about being stuck with Juro on another mission.

"I just want to be with Neo...at least once." She moaned.

Juro sighed as he looked around the area.

They had traveled at least a few days since Najenda gave them their orders. After seeing several signs pointing to Riverside Village, he thought they would be close but never expected to find themselves surrounded by thick, overgrown trees. But, if he closely looks among the trunks, he could spot a river flowing on the other side; only small portions of it could be scene but he could tell it was the river.

"How much longer?" Iris asked as she slowly stood back up.

"Not sure." Juro said. "But seeing as how the river is past those trees, we can assume we might be close."

"That's not helpful you know?" Iris said.

Juro could only chuckle before hearing something move in the shrubbery near them. Iris, confused on what caught his attention, was surprised to see Juro pull out a set of kodachi blades.

"Is that your teigu?" She asked him, unaware of the bushes being tussled.

Juro nodded his head before putting a finger to his mouth, motioning her to stay quiet.

But, just as she was about to speak again, a figure jumped from the bushes and threw a small smoke bomb, covering the area around them in smoke. It didn't take Iris long to realize they were being attacked as she adjusted her tiara and caused it to glow brightly.

The smoke around them soon vanished and her eyes widened to see Juro on the ground, unconscious. Looking around, she could see several large men, equipped with axes and swords, as they grinned at her.

"Lookie 'ere boys." One man said. "We got us a prize."

Some of the man shouted in victory as one of them tackled Iris to the ground, grabbing her arms and putting them behind her back.

"Don't worry lass." The man said as he grabbed some rope and started tying her hands together. "Tha boss just wants a quick word with ye."

* * *

 _ **Southern Mountains (Present Day)**_

"A-Abel." Lilian asked terrified.

"I know." Abel angrily said as he pulled out his arm blades.

In front of the two of them were Hades and Pluto. Both men seemed relaxed near the two, not viewing them as a threat at all.

"Hades." Pluto said. "Shall I dispose of them?"

"No." Hades said. "I will. But I think the I'll let the girl live. After all, we need a witness to warn Night Raid they should've disbanded when they had the chance."

Pluto bowed as he slowly backed away. Hades then proceeded to pull out a small black dagger with a hole near the end for him to place his fingers in the better grip it.

"Now Night Raid scum," He said as he prepared to attack. "Let me show you what it means to mess with a demon."

 **Oh boy. Oh boy. Things have moved pretty quickly. While everyone starts their missions they are already quickly met by their opponents. Man, Demon's Grasp sure does have its resources. But how will the battle play out with Abel? What does Hecate want to say? Will Iris and Juro be alright? Find out next chapter!**

 **So I've tallied up the scores and I will be posting chapters every month. You guys seem to like that more so that's what I'll do. Thanks for voting. Heiwa!**


	11. The Mercenary

**Chapter 11: The Mercenary**

"Pluto, keep that little girl from this fight, will you?" Hades asked as Pluto pulled out a bow and arrow and aimed it directly at Lilian.

"Of course." He said as he fired a single arrow.

The arrow flew straight for Lilian who was too scared to move. However, Abel managed to slice the arrow in half with his arm blades, causing the two halves to fall short from Lilian.

"You'll have to try better than that." Abel said as he angrily looked at Hades and Pluto.

Pluto smirked. "You'll have to be more observant."

Abel immediately turned around and what he feared most happened. A small fuse, attached to both ends of the arrow were lit and nearly finished burning.

"Lilian! Run!" He shouted just as the arrow exploded, causing a large massive hole in the snow.

Lilian flew back and smashed into a tree while Abel held his ground, his arm blades covering his face from the snow.

Suddenly, Hades appeared below him, a small dagger embroidered dagger in his hand as he swiped at Abel. Abel managed to dodge the attack before another arrow came straight for him, both ends lit with a fuse.

"Too slow." Pluto calmly said.

Abel quickly cut the first fuse with his blade, impressing Hades, while the second fuse went out and exploded, causing Abel to fly further away from the two.

"Dammit." He grunted as he crashed into the tree.

"No time for rest." Hades said, appearing behind him and lunging his blade straight for Abel's back.

Abel, moving as fast as he could, barely deflected the blade while receiving a cut to his cheek when he turned around to face Hades.

Hades jumped and made some distance between him and Abel, allowing the Night Raid member to catch his breath. Hades took note of Pluto hiding in the tree tops, his arrow aimed for Abel. Hades shook his head.

"Pluto, I will handle it from here." The leader said. "You just make sure that _girl_ won't interfere."

"Of course master." Pluto bowed before disappearing into the tree line.

"You guys think that's a wise idea to split up like that?" Abel chuckled as he stood ready to fight again. "You don't know who you're messing with."

"Oh? Is that so?" Hades questioned, slowly sheathing his dagger. "Abel Nottingham, born in the Southern Islands. Left home at the age of 13 and became a mercenary. After a failing a job to protect a client, you and a few other were immediately captured and imprisoned for it."

Abel listened to Hades speak of his past with a horrified look on his face.

"H-How do you know that?" Abel asked, his body starting to slowly shake.

"We have our resources." Hades sighed as he looked up at the sky. "To be honest, you guys never stood a chance against us in the first place. Sure one of yours took down Thanatos but he wasn't really an important piece for our plan. You could say he was cannon fodder."

Abel angrily clenched his fists, his body was still shaking.

"Treat your own allies like garbage. That's just cruel." Abel said, looking at Hades. "He was your comrade right? Someone you wanted to protect?"

"Please, you're preaching to the choir." Hades said, looking back at Abel. "After all, wasn't it _you_ who got your comrade killed over something so small like getting back at us?"

Abel took a step back, frozen from any response he could give. The memories of Callen weren't much but near his final moments, he knew he was to blame for his death.

"If only I'd paid attention the first time it happened." Abel finally spoke, looking at the snow and beginning to remember the past.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Location (1 year ago)**_

"Abel! Get to the Lord now!" A man shouted at him.

"Right!" Abel replied, slicing an imperial soldiers chest.

The blood shot up and hit him in the face but it didn't faze him. Turning around, another soldier came directly at him, rifle with a sharp knife near the end of the barrel. Abel quickly bumped the rifle up just as the soldier fired it, allowing him the chance to go in for the kill.

As the soldier dropped dead, two more showed up and opened fired. Abel stood still as a large figure jumped in front of him and deflected the bullets back, killing both the soldiers and wounding several others.

"What took you so long?" Abel chuckled at the large man.

"Shields too heavy." The large man replied.

"Hmm, maybe you should cut back on the sweets." Abel joked.

The large man only looked at him before returning his attention back to the battle.

"Where's Lord Fukaku?" The man asked.

Abel pointed at a small knocked over carriage on the side of the road. Several imperial soldiers had surrounded it and formed a defensive wall to keep Abel and the others away.

"He's still in there." Abel said. "It tipped over after a surprise explosion from bombs planted in the road."

"Well, then this is nothing new." The man said as he grabbed a soldier by the shoulder and bashed his head with the large shield. "Go to him, I'll provide cover."

"Right!" Abel said as he took cover behind the large man and the two began rushing the carriage.

The imperial soldiers began shooting at the two but their bullets were quickly deflected from the man's large shield.

As the two of them neared the cart, Abel pulled out a small pot from his bag and lit the fuse that was attached to it. The pot slowly began smoking as he tossed it over the large man and between the soldiers.

"What is this?" One soldier coughed.

"It's poison!" Another shouted but failed to get away in time as he collapsed on the ground.

"D-Don't...breath…" Another tried saying before falling as well.

"Abel now!" The large man shouted.

Abel used the man's shoulders as a stepping stool to jump high in the air and land on the ground in front of the carriage. He quickly disposed of the remaining soldiers standing from his poison bomb before approaching the cart.

"True it's probably poison but it's nothing more than knockout gas." Abel said as he opened up the cart. His quickly widened. "What?"

"What is it?" The large man asked as he approached Abel.

Suddenly, the sound of a gun went off, causing both men to stand perfectly still.

Abel, slowly starting to shake, looked to his left at the large man. His eyes soon went wide and his hearing deaf.

"B-Broly?" He mouthed at the large man who fell on the ground with a bullet hole in his head.

Abel quickly rushed over to the large man, but knowing it was too late, attempted to wake him regardless.

"Broly, wake up!" He shouted.

He soon felt several rifles pointing at him as he turned around to see several soldiers aiming their guns at him.

All around the area, most of the mercenaries he was fighting with were either dead or surrendering with the wounded being killed.

"You lose." A soldier said as another tackled Abel to the ground and began binding his arms and legs together.

* * *

 _ **Southern Mountains (Present Day)**_

Abel opened his eyes and took a long look at Hades. The Demon's Grasp leader hadn't moved during his flashback nor did anything. He seemed to preoccupied with the sky.

"Broly." Abel whispered as he clenched his fists. "I'll avenge you. I swear."

Suddenly, Abel pulled out his arms blades, catching Hades' attention.

"So you're ready to go another round?" He asked as he pulled out his dagger. "Fine by me but this will be the last one."

"Yeah! For you!" Abel shouted as he ran straight for Hades.

Hades quickly jumped high into the air, surprising Abel, and landed behind him before attacking. However, Abel managed to deflect the dagger with one arm blade and attacked with the other, cutting a little of Hades arm.

"Not bad." Hades said as he jumped back to get some distance. "But try this!"

Hades scooped up some snow and threw it in Abel's direction, attempting to blind him. Abel dodged the snow only to find Hades disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" He questioned, carefully scanning the area.

"Below you." Hades said as his head popped up from the snow and he grabbed both of Abel's legs.

Abel quickly stabbed the ground but missed when Hades let go of his legs and deflected his attacks with his dagger. Abel soon jumped away from Hades but crashed into the ground after his leg gave away.

"What...the hell?" Abel asked, examining his leg and noticing a small needle. "What's this?" He wondered as he pulled it out.

"I've numbed your leg with a small needle." Hades informed him. "Courtesy of Pluto."

Abel tried standing back up but collapsed on the ground again.

"Sorry, I've hit both of your legs." Hades said as he approached Abel. "You won't be moving for a while. Scratch that, you won't be moving again."

Abel looked as Hades neared him and prepped his dagger to deal a killing blow.

"May the gods have mercy on you." Hades said as he lifted the blade up.

Suddenly, a figure quickly kicked Hades away from Abel, surprising the both of them. Soon several arrows came flying towards Abel but were quickly shredded.

Abel looked up to see Lilian protecting him. Yatsufusa was held tightly in her hands as she sternly looked at Pluto, who had followed her, arrive with more arrows readied.

"Pluto, I told you to keep her busy." Hades scolded.

"Sorry master, she doesn't want to hold still. Even after I shot her leg." Pluto apologized.

Abel looked down at Lilian's right leg and noticed it was bandaged with blood soaking out of it.

"Lilian…" He spoke.

"Are you okay?" Lilian asked.

Abel could tell she wasn't in her shy mode but in her battle mode now. He could only nod.

"Good, listen, I'll buy you sometime until your legs wake up. When they do, make a run for it, I'll handle these two." She said, positioning her sword over her shoulders.

"No, I can't do that." Abel said as he tried getting up and feel once more.

"Pluto, I'm getting tired of this, let's end it." Hades said, picking himself up. "Little girl, I'll deal with you first." He pointed his dagger at her.

Everything went silent as Pluto aimed his arrows at Lilian and Hades his dagger. Lilian kept her sword pointed at Pluto but her eyes on Hades.

Soon Pluto released his arrows, causing Lilian to charge the arrows and slice them in half. She soon realized the fuses attached to the arrows and quickly kicked up some snow to extinguish the fuses. Hades then appeared under her and attempted to stab her legs with his needles but failed after she jumped into the air and sliced her sword over his face, cutting the bridge of his nose.

"Little bitch!" Hades angrily said as he held his nose to prevent the blood from exiting the wound.

Just as Lilian chuckled, Pluto fired two arrows, purposely missing her and landing on both sides. Lilian quickly jumped back only to find a third arrow causing all three arrows to form a triangle.

"So long." Pluto smirked as he clicked a small remote.

The three arrows surrounding Lilian began to slowly emit electricity before striking her, causing her to scream in pain.

Abel watched in horror as Pluto continued his assault with electrocuting Lilian until she had completely stopped moving. Only the sounds of her coughing up blood were enough to reassure Abel that she wasn't dead.

"Now then." Hades said, still holding his nose, as he grabbed his knife. "Where should I cut you first?"

Abel watched as Hades wasted no time to stab Lilian's wound she received from Pluto earlier, causing Lilian to holler in pain. He then made his way to stabbing her arm, forcing her to let go of Yatsufusa.

"Now, for the grand finale!" Hades sang as he threw his knife in the air.

The knife came straight down, aiming for Lilian's chest. Hades watched in amusement as the knife came closer and closer until…..

"Huh?" Hades questioned.

A weird feeling had come over him as he looked to see he had been stabbed in the chest with a blade sticking through his body.

Hades then looked at Lilian who was still breathing but found Abel on top of her, the knife sticking in his back. Abel was breathing heavy as he coughed up blood on Lilian's face.

"Are….Are you okay?" Abel coughed.

Lilian only nodded her head, terrified of the sight of her friend.

Abel smiled. "That's good."

He soon turned his head slowly and looked at Hades. He had fallen on his knees and was breathing very heavy; Abel could tell he didn't have much time left.

"Abel, are you alright?" Lilian finally asked.

Abel chuckled. "This is nothing. The knife only hit my spine, but nothing vital."

"T-That's good to hear." Lilian smiled, tears in her eyes.

"Master Hades!" Pluto shouted as he ran towards Hades.

"I got this." Hades shouted, causing Pluto to stop. "Listen, I don't have much time left so I'm only saying this once. Retreat, you're in charge now."

"But Master Hades…"

"I said go!" Hades shouted before looking at Abel with a killing intent. "You're coming with me."

He slowly lifted his left arm with his middle finger on top of his index finger.

"Curse activate!" He shouted before falling on the ground and started laughing. "You're doomed kid, the knife in you has a curse that destroys your body on the inside. You'll be dead within the minute."

"Abel!" Lilian shouted in horror as Abel began yelling in pain.

"L-Lilian, you have to get out of here." Abel said trying to restrain himself from yelling. "T-Tell...the….."

Abel's eyes slowly closed as he fell dead beside Lilian, his arms and legs off of her to allow her to run.

Lilian's eyes were red as her tears streamed down her face. She couldn't move after witnessing her friend die. Pluto had vanished after Hades activated his curse so it was just her all alone.

"Abel…" She cried. "Don't leave me like this. You're my friend, so you can't leave me."

* * *

 _ **Riverside Village**_

"Wakey wakey." A man's voice laughed as Iris and Juro both slowly opened their eyes.

The two of them realized they were tied up to chairs and inside a small room with three guards, two Iris remembered from their ambush.

"Welcome to hell." The guard laughed.

 **Man that was a good chapter. It felt good writing it. Don't know why though, maybe it's the music I'm listening to. Oh well, anyway, with Abel and Hades dead, both groups lose another member. Now next time, we'll have to see how Juro and Iris get out of the situation they're in.**

 **Please leave a review and don't forget to favorite or follow the story and don't worry, I'll post the other chapter for Empire High II and Raise the Level on later dates. Heiwa!**


	12. Ants

**Chapter Twelve: Ants**

 _ **Riverside Village (Main Road)**_

Juro immediately pulled out his teigu and prepared them for close quarters combat. Iris seemed surprised by his change of behavior. Just a minute ago he was laughing and now he's serious.

"Is that your teigu?" She asked him, unaware of the bushes being tussled.

Juro nodded his head before putting a finger to his mouth, motioning her to stay quiet.

But, just as she was about to speak again, a figure jumped from the bushes and threw a small smoke bomb, covering the area around them in smoke. It didn't take Iris long to realize they were being attacked as she adjusted her tiara and caused it to glow brightly.

The smoke around them soon vanished and her eyes widened to see Juro on the ground, unconscious. Looking around, she could see several large men, equipped with axes and swords, as they grinned at her.

"Lookie 'ere boys." One man said. "We got us a prize."

Some of the man shouted in victory as one of them tackled Iris to the ground, grabbing her arms and putting them behind her back.

"Don't worry lass." The man said as he grabbed some rope and started tying her hands together. "Tha boss just wants a quick word with ye."

* * *

 _ **Hywel's Secret Base (Near Riverside Village)**_

"Wakey wakey." A man's voice laughed as Iris and Juro both slowly opened their eyes.

The two of them realized they were tied up to chairs and inside a small room with three guards, two Iris remembered from their ambush.

"Welcome to hell." The guard laughed.

"Wh-Where are we?" Iris, still stunned, asked.

"In the bear's den." Juro replied, angrily looking at each guard. "It seems we got captured."

"That's right." The guard laughed. "Boy you two's sure ain't smart."

"Release us now!" Juro demanded.

The guard looked at Juro, for a moment like he was stupid, before roaring in laughter.

"You think I'm that dumb?" He smiled before grabbing Juro's head and punching him with his free hand.

The guard's knuckles slowly began to turn red before blood eventually covered them. Iris, slowly regaining consciousness, watched as Juro's face went from normal to bloodied mess, with his right eye bruised badly and his forehead slowly bleeding.

"For yous Night Raid fella's yous sure are weak." The man said, growing bored of punching Juro repeatedly. "Maybe I outta finish you off before tha boss does."

"Yeah, do it, Judd!" One guard cheered.

"The boss will have to reward us for disposing of them ourselves!" The other said.

The man named Judd grinned after his comrades encouraging words. Juro, badly beaten, could tell he's planning on killing them both and will possibly start with him.

"Right, we'll do that!" Judd happily said as he pulled out a small hunting knife and placed it close to Juro's throat. "Now when ya see god, tell 'im I'll get 'im soon." Judd grinned as he moved the blade across Juro's throat.

However, just as the blade touched Juro's skin, the man stopped, surprising Juro and Iris, now fully aware of the situation.

The two looked behind Judd to see a bald man with a large scar covering his right eye. He had a small brown goatee and wore a normal mercenaries attire, almost like Abel before he changed to a robe.

"B-Boss!" Judd said surprised as he coughed.

Blood hit Juro's face, grossing him out before he realized another blade was pointed at him but went through Judd's chest. On the other side, holding the blade, was the man Judd to referred as his boss.

Juro angrily looked at the bald man, still holding the sword in Judd's chest. Iris, too, became aware of the man holding the sword.

"You must be Hywel." Juro assumed.

The bald man smirked as he quickly pulled the sword out from Judd, causing the man to fall dead on the floor. Behind him, the two guards who cheered on Judd, were dead as well with knives stabbed in their backs.

"You're pretty observant for a member of Night Raid." The man smiled as he sheathed his sword. "You're right, I am Hywel."

Hywel slowly bowed towards the two of them before standing straight up and sucker punching Juro in the face; causing his wound on his forehead to bleed even more.

Juro yelled in pain while Iris could do nothing but watch in horror as Hywel began his own assault on Juro but instead of just punching his face, Hywel went to land some blows on his legs and stomach.

"S-Stop it…." Iris muttered but her words were deaf to Hywel.

"You Night Raid scum will not interfere in our plans." Hywel angrily said as he kicked Juro's chair over and proceeded to stomp on Juro's chest. "You people are nothing more than ants listening to their queen as she hides in safety."

"Stop it." Iris said once more, a little louder but still fell deaf on Hywel's ears as he finished torturing Juro.

Just as he turned his back on Juro, Hywel spat on the bloodied and bruised man. The right portion of his face was black and red and impossible for him to see through his eye. The rest of his body was badly bruised with his legs and knees badly beaten and his breathing heavy after the amount of pain Hywel gave him.

"I would do the same for you but you didn't have a teigu on you so there's no need." Hywel told Iris who was in shock after witnessing Juro's beating. "However, I'm still keeping you tied up here until I can formally deal with you two. Right now, I have other things to attend to."

Hywel never spoke another word as he left them alone in the small empty room; slamming the door behind him. Iris slowly turned her head to better examine Juro. He could barely move in the condition he was in but his breathing had slowed down.

"Juro, are you okay? Say something!" She asked in distress.

"Y-Yeah." Juro managed to speak. "J-Just a few bruises won't stop me." He managed to force a smile before coughing up some blood on the ground.

"Hang on a second, I'll get you out." She said as her tiara began to glow. "Luckily, they thought my tiara was just shining in the sun and didn't take it."

The ropes around her slowly began to loosen before she was able to break free.

Wasting no time, Iris jumped straight to Juro and untied him from his ropes and carefully laid him flat on the ground.

"Okay, let me see." Iris began talking to herself as she looked around the empty room for anything. "Huh, I should've known better than to look in this empty place." She sighed as she began to rip part of her dress. "Now hold still," She told Juro. "I'm going to bandage your face but then we need to get out of here straight after."

"What about my teigu?" Juro asked in a weak voice from before, worrying Iris.

"There's no point, we'll have to get it back another time. Right now, we should focus on escaping." She replied as she tighten the fabric around his eye. "There, you should still be able to see fine out of your left eye, right?"

Juro could only nod his head as she helped him up.

"Iris…." Juro said.

"What?" Iris asked as she finally got him to stand straight, supporting his arm over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Iris smirked. "What are you sorry about? I should've been more aware of those dogs hiding in the bushes."

"But we've lost a teigu and now you have to carry me out of this."

"Don't worry about it. We'll get your teigu back and assassinate Hywel, even if it kills me." She said with a determined face, surprising Juro.

Without thinking, Juro broke free from Iris and struggled to stand up straight before regaining his balance. He then went to a gun show pose, slightly irritating Iris.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" She exclaimed.

"We're getting my teigu back and assassinating Hywel like we promised." Juro said with confidence. "Even if it kills me." He smiled.

"Dummy! You can't possible fight in your condition!" Iris argued but her comment was laughed away.

"I suppose I should tell you what my teigu is capable of then." Juro smiled, confusing Iris. He then placed two fingers in front of him. "Teigu Segen und Fluch (Blessing and Curse), is a dual-wielding teigu for dual-wielding experts like me. One blade posses a small curse like poison that drives anyone made if they touch it and in the end they commit suicide or are killed by their comrades since they can't distinguish friend or foe alike."

"Okay?" Iris questioned. "Where are you getting at this?"

Juro chuckled. "I'm glad you asked because the other blade can heal allies and myself from small injuries; such as, my face."

"So then that means…" Iris said, not wanting to finish her own sentence.

"I can heal myself if we get my weapons back!" Juro cheerfully said in a strange pose where he's on one knee and his arms are straight in the air.

"I'm going to regret this." Iris sighed. "But I guess we don't have a choice now. Can't let Demon's Grasp or Chrome Dome know about them."

* * *

Iris carefully looked around the corner from the hallway they were in. It had been about 10 minutes since they managed to free themselves and, luckily for them, the guard activity was low. Juro and her have only ran into a few guards but managed to quickly dispose of them quietly without raising any alarms. They even ran into the three guards from the room, once which Juro had purposely locked himself and the three of them in before coming out with bruised knuckles, much to Iris' annoyance.

"Alright, I see it." She quietly spoke after noticing a guard with a crate of weapons enter a room then leave. "That must be their armory." She suspected. "Your teigu's gotta be in there."

Waiting a few more minutes for the coast to be clear, so motioned Juro to follow her as the two quietly ran towards the door and entered the armory.

Both were surprised by the amount of weapons they found inside the room. From swords to machine guns, the two figured three armies could be supplied and resupplied again if war were to ever break out.

"He must take being an arms dealer a serious job." Juro joked before getting smacked in the back of the head.

"That's not it." Iris scolded him. "He's working with Demon's Grasp so he must be carefully stockpiling these weapons for a reason."

Iris carefully walked over to some of the weapons and examined them only to cause her eyes to widened after looking at some of the rifles.

"Juro, these are guns for the Imperial Army." She said as Juro walked over to her. "Remember about that shipment that went missing, this is where it must've went."

"Hey look! My teigu!" Juro exclaimed as he ran over to a table with two kodachi blades resting on top of a pillow and carefully sheathed.

Juro happily picked up his weapons and hugged them tightly.

"Oh how I've missed you two!" He cried, weirding out Iris.

"Just hurry up and heal yourself." Iris told him. "I think I hear some guards coming."

Juro nodded his head and quickly pulled out one blade with a small picture of a leaf on the grip. He then carefully took off the bandage Iris ripped from her dress and tapped his wounds with the tip of his blade. The wounds slowly began to heal themselves, the dry blood slowly disappearing and before long, his face looked completely healed.

"You good now?" Iris asked.

"Yep." Juro smiled as he went to place his blade back in the sheath but accidentally let it slip from his hand, landing on the floor and causing a loud ringing sound to echo in the room.

"Did you hear something?" A guard outside the door asked.

"Yeah, I did." The other said, causing Iris to become worried they were going to get caught.

"Guys!" Another man yelled as he ran down the hall. "The prisoners escaped!"

"What?!" One said surprised.

"Then that sound…." One said.

"The armory!" The other finished. "Quick, inform Mr. Hywel." The man ordered. "We'll deal with the prisoners!"

"Crap!" Iris said as she ran back to Juro.

"Don't worry." Juro said calmly as he picked up his blade. "I got this."

* * *

Outside of the armory, two guards prepared their machine guns as they readied themselves to breach the room.

The guard on the left side of the door held up three fingers before slowly taking one away until his hand made a fist and he popped the fist down then up, signaling the guard across from him to break down the door.

However, as the guard jumped in front of the door, the door busted right open, crushing the guard against the wall on the opposite side of the hall. Juro soon then jumped from the cloud of smoke from inside the armory and quickly slashed his blades against the remaining guards legs, prompting him to fall.

"You little-" The guard was cut off shortly after Juro drove his left blade into the guards head.

"Sorry, don't have time to talk, gotta kill someone." Juro smiled. "Come on, Iris!" He shouted as he began running down the hall.

Iris came out of the room, coughing from all the smoke she inhaled.

"Damn you Juro!" She angrily shouted as she chased after him. "Tell me when you plan on blowing up the room like that next time, you bastard!"

* * *

Juro quickly disposed of the two guards in front of him before taking down the third one, who was too nervous to move after seeing his comrades get killed. Iris, just behind him, took down a guard who didn't seem to want to move.

"Iris, his office is straight ahead." Juro informed her.

"Finally!" Iris complained. "Gods, who makes a secret base with so many twists and turns like this? I'm surprised people can find where they are going."

"Well, strategically, if the enemy (us) broke in, then it'd be a battle in their favor since they know the area better." Juro told her.

"Don't you treat me like an idiot!" Iris angrily shouted, hitting Juro on the head.

"B-But I wasn't." Juro whined. "Your beauty tells me you're intelligent in every-"

"Stop that!" Iris yelled again, slamming his head into the wall. "Come on, we have trash to dispose of."

"Right…." Juro said as he slid down the wall and onto the ground before picking himself up. " _She may be scary but that's what I love about her_." Juro thought as they ran down the hall and reached a door labeled, ' _Hywel's Office_.'

"This must be it." Iris said with a stern face.

"Let's do this!" Juro yelled as he kicked down the doors.

As the two entered in, they were immediately met by four guards, armed with machine guns. However, they were no match for the two as Juro and Iris both killed them effortlessly.

Hywel, panicking in his chair, turned to a man dressed in native gear with red paint on his face.

"Cebel, stop them!" Hywel begged.

The man named Cebel looked at Hywel with disinterest before turning to an open window.

"You're on your own." He said before quickly darting out the window.

"Cebel, you bastard. I'll kill your entire vi-" Hywel was soon stopped when Juro placed his kodachi sword in front of him, causing the bald man to become extremely nervous.

"H-How did you get out?" He asked, knowing he didn't have much time left.

"Have you forgotten?" Juro smiled. "Ants can find a way into anything, whether it be a home or a rats nest."

Hywel gulped as Juro drove both swords into his chest, killing the man instantly before landing his upper body on his desk, letting the blood flow on the papers he had.

"Damn, he ruined them." Iris said irritated as she picked up a bloody piece of paper. "But at least he's dead now."

"Man that felt good!" Juro stretched his arms. "So how did I do?" He smiled, waiting for a compliment.

Iris sighed and slapped him across the face before examining Hywel's desk, searching the drawers, for anything they could use. Her eyes soon caught a small file with the name ' _Demon's Grasp_ ' written on it.

She quickly pulled it out and began to read the file, her eyes becoming more and more interested and worried as she read each line. Juro soon noticed her after messing with a painting of Hywel and knocking it down.

"What's that?" He asked.

Iris soon looked up at Juro, nearly forgetting he was there and closed the file and showed him the front of it.

"This is a file with all the information of Demon's Grasp on it."

 **Whew, that was some chapter. Probably another good one I wrote. I know, two chapters in less than a week, "what is he thinking?" Well to be honest, I found some inspiration to pull off writing these last two chapters. I'm still writing chapters for the other stories so don't worry.**

 **Anyway, Hywel's now dead but some information about Demon's Grasp are now in Night Raid's hands. Will this change the tide of battle between the two groups? Also that mysterious man Cebel is probably involved too but he got away quickly. Oh well. Not to mention, Juro's teigu now revealed. I wonder what his trump card is...or if he has one? Many questions will be answered in following chapters.**

 **Find out in the next chapters to come!**

 **Like usual, write a review of what you thought and favorite or follow this story. Also please tell your friends about this story and my other ones if they want something to read while they wait for other chapters on different stories to come out. Heiwa!**


	13. Operation: Demon's Grasp

**Chapter Thirteen: Operation Demon's Grasp**

 _ **Eastern Sea Docks**_

Neo and Akame both prepared for an attack that Hecate or Nyx could be planning. Neo was still on the ground from being knocked down by Hecate while Akame was still, just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Hecate smirked as she looked out at the sea. The village they were in was a small fishing village but most of its trade was from foreign and neighboring lands that brought rare materials not found on their continent. The sea was calm and peaceful, it seemed so relaxing she felt she could just jump in and her worries would disappear.

Hecate soon turned her head and stared at both Akame and Neo, who was finally standing.

"Hecate only wants to talk." Nyx said as she rested her head on Hecate's arm. "But, if it weren't for her, I would've killed you both myself and saved Hades the trouble."

Neo and Akame both sternly looked at Nyx and could tell she wasn't lying. Akame slowly began to remember their first encounter, Nyx was too fast for them to predict where she would strike.

" _Esdeath could probably easily see through her moves; just like she did mine._ " Akame thought.

"What do you want to talk about?" Neo asked, not wavering to the Demon's Grasp power.

Hecate smiled. "I'm glad you're still just as smart as you were back then."

Neo and Akame's eyes widen as Akame looked over at Neo. Neo was frozen, he wasn't sure how Hecate knew him. Akame was stuck in a state of confusion, however, she managed to snap out of it and turned her attention back on Hecate and Nyx, the two still standing in the same place.

"How do you know Neo?" Akame asked.

Hecate simply shook her head. "That's for another time. Anyway, I want to talk to you two about something. These are orders from Master Hades himself."

"What do you want?" Akame asked, growing concern for an attempt sneak attack.

"The boss wants you two to join us and help accomplish Operation Demon's Grasp." Nyx yawned, growing tired of the drawn out talking.

Hecate looked at her partner, annoyed, before turning back to Akame and Neo, nodding her head.

"It's true, just as this stubborn little brat says." Hecate confirmed, irritating Nyx.

"Operation Demon's Grasp?" Neo questioned, finally coming back to reality. "Isn't your groups name Demon's Grasp?"

"True, our group is named Demon's Grasp but the name itself was taken from the name of the operation." Hecate told them. "Our goal, as you probably are aware, is to take control of the Empire."

"Well thanks but no thanks." Neo waved her insisted question away. "I've seen the Empire at it's darkest hour before deserting and joining the Revolutionary Army to help stop that darkness. Now the people here can live in peace, without any worries of high taxes or being taken and sold as slaves."

"I suppose the same is for you too, Akame?" Hecate sighed, knowing full well what her answer will be.

Akame only nodded.

"Fine then, it was a long stretch but I guess it'll be like that." Hecate said as she turned and began walking away from them. "The next time we meet, I will kill you both."

"Wait!" Neo shouted, prompting Hecate to stop. "You never told me how you knew some of that information."

Hecate turned her head to see Neo giving her an intense look. She blushed a little before slapping her cheeks, surprising both Akame and Neo.

"Since I like that face of yours, I'll give you a hint." She said, looking away from Neo. "Someday, I'll become stronger than Esdeath."

Neo's eyes widened after Hecate finished her sentence. Before he could stop her, Hecate threw down a smoke bomb, allowing her and Nyx to escape without being caught.

Just as Akame was about to chase after them, Neo grabbed her arm and stopped her from going on. Akame, turning her head, could tell something was troubling Neo as she helped him sit on the ground and breath.

"Neo, what is it?" She asked worried.

"I….I never thought I'd hear those words again." Neo said, starting to breath heavy.

"What? About being stronger than Esdeath?" Akame questioned.

"She's always said those words before we went to sleep." Neo said, memories of his past starting to flow through his head.

"Neo. Do you know Hecate's identity?" Akame asked, understanding that Neo knows her.

"It's….It's my ex-girlfriend…..Nisha."

* * *

 _ **Demon's Grasp Hideout (Location: Unknown)**_

Several candles illuminated the small room as Hecate and Nyx entered the room where Pluto was waiting.

"You two made it back." Pluto said.

"You sound surprised." Nyx smirked as she looked around the room. "Where's the old man?"

"Dead." Pluto said, surprising the two.

"You're joking?" Nyx asked, not wanting to believe it.

"I'm afraid it's true. We ran into two of those Night Raid members and managed to kill one but he took down Master Hades with him." Pluto said. "Anyway, since I'm in charge now, I've decided to bump the plan ahead by a few days."

"What do you mean ahead?" Hecate asked.

Pluto smirked. "Operation Demon's Grasp will commence in two weeks."

Nyx smiled. "I like that, waiting another month would've been a pain."

"Hecate, how went the recruiting?" Pluto asked the woman.

"It's a no." Hecate said with sorrow.

"No worries, we have a new member to our group." Pluto said as he held his arm out to introduce their new member.

A man dressed in tribal gear with red paint on his face forming two lines going down both eyes and one line going across his nose and under each eye. He wore the head of a danger beast on his head like a hat and crossed his arms as he entered the room.

"Everyone, meet Cebel. He happens to be a teigu user, just like us, so he'll be able to fit in."

Nyx approached Cebel and began examining him; poking his stomach, squeezing his arms and even trying to tickle him.

However, Cebel became irritated with her and picked up Nyx and threw her across the room into the wall, leaving a large dent.

"Don't ever do that again." He hissed.

"Jeez, what's his problem?" Nyx asked, trying to get unstuck from the wall.

"Now now people, let's all be nice. After all, we have one goal in mind and that's to get rid of Night Raid." Pluto said as he looked at Cebel whose only response was to smash the wall, causing roots to come out.

 **Not the best chapter, I know, but necessary. Demon's Grasp attempt to recruit Akame and Neo failed. Neo knows Hecate's identity. Operation Demon's Grasp is being pushed forward and now they have a new member whose teigu is still unknown. What will happen?! Well, after Najenda's report, the chapter after that will begin the start of the uprising.**

 **Like always please leave a review of what you thought or what I could improve on. Also don't forget to favorite/follow the story. Heiwa!**

 **Now I know some of you are wondering why I have been posting chapters recently. To tell the truth, I've been behind on writing them, but I managed to find the time to write them and post them. I also just want to thank you guys for your continued support of Betrayal Within.**


	14. Report II

**Chapter Fourteen: Report II**

 _ **Council Room (Imperial Capital)**_

 _ **Operation Demon's Grasp- 12 days remaining**_

Najenda sighed as she tossed the large bunch of paper onto the podium in front of her. The entire room of the council members were all shocked by her attitude. Some considered it rude while others were concerned with how Minister Marik would take it.

Much to their surprise, he seemed to be in a pleasant mood that Najenda's attitude didn't once shake him.

"Najenda, I believe you have a report you wanted to share with us?" Marik smiled, unnoticing of Najenda angrily chewing her cigarette.

"I do!" Najenda angrily spat the cigarette onto the ground.

A guard in the room hurriedly raced over to pick up the cigarette but was immediately kicked by Najenda, causing him to land on the floor. The guard quickly returned to his post, crawling halfway before getting up and running to his spot.

"I've just gotten information from my group and it seems we've got a few traitors among here!" Najenda shouted. "Of course this shouldn't be new, but now we have evidence of who to go after!"

The entire room went silent as everyone waited for Najenda or Marik to speak.

Soon, after what felt like hours of silence, Najenda straighten herself and her attitude went back to her usual calm self.

"Well, that failed." She casually said, shocking some of the council members. "It's true that we did get some evidence but on Demon's Grasp. Any traitors in the Empire are still safe….for now."

"And what evidence would you like to present us?" Marik asked, trying to get the room to settle down.

Najenda cleared her throat. "Over the past month we have been working diligently in finding anything about Demon's Grasp. Our first encounter with them left Night Raid's morale low but after an unauthorized attack, Night Raid member Callen was killed along with the man known as Thanatos in Demon's Grasp. No Teigu were retrieved. No bodies were found." Najenda then shifted to a new paper with more information on it. "After a month of searching, Night Raid had regrouped then dispatched into three groups of two to several locations that will remain classified. After reaching the areas, all three groups engaged with Demon's Grasp members and mercenaries working for the group. Both Abel Nottingham and the leader of Demon's Grasp, Hades, were killed in action. Lilian Proctor has been sent to medical care for sustaining injuries. In another group, both members were captured by the arms dealer Hywel who had been stealing firearms from the Empire for the past few months. However, both member managed to assassinate him and found sensitive files regarding his cooperation with Demon's Grasp."

"To think we were dealing with something like this." One council member said.

"At least we got Night Raid to thank." Another added.

"The file also contained information on the leader of the group Hades. Real name: Atticus Hamlin. Former officer for the Imperial Army before going awol after failing to secure the southern fort during the Revolutionary Army's siege. We also have information on another member known as Hecate. Her files were found as well and thanks to one of our members in Night Raid, they were able to identify and give us more information on the girl really known as Nisha Baskey."

"Was she a soldier as well?" One of the women asked.

Najenda nodded her head. "She, along with our own assassin, were part of an elite teigu squad that specialize in commando missions. Nearly the entire squad was wiped out during battle with a small battalion in the Revolutionary Army. Only two survived but both abandoned their posts on separate dates. Nearly two months apart."

"Najenda, I feel you should tell us the other's name who is working for you. If he knows this Nisha, then he should be placed in questioning as well, no?" A council member asked.

Najenda shook her head. "He's proven loyal and wasn't even aware of her until after their encounter. Apparently, Demon's Grasp set out to recruit two of ours but instead lost one of theirs. Of course, Atticus and Nisha are still under investigation, we are now a few steps closer to knowing more about Demon's Grasp."

The entire room began to applaud Najenda, some even gave a few whistles. Minister Marik even bowed his head towards Najenda.

"You have my thanks, Najenda." Marik smiled. "I knew putting you in charge was the right choice."

"Minister…" Najenda calmly said, putting a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it. "I must ask you improve our defenses immediately."

"Huh?" Marik asked confused.

Several of the council members began whispering to one another of what they thought would happen or what will happen. Even Minister Marik had one of his aides approach him and quietly whisper something into his ear before the minister nodded his head.

"Najenda, do you have any reason we should increase our defense?" He asked.

"Demon's Grasp is starting to get a little more active lately, especially with the Loyalist Army about to make their move soon. We have the information from Hywel's files, so I feel it best we increase our defenses until this threat is dealt with."

"Very well then," Marik said, scratching his beard.

"Thank you minister." Najenda bowed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have plans to be making."

 **Like I've said before, short but needed. Now that the council is informed and we know some names, Night Raid will definitely be able to fight smarter. However, what will Neo now think his ex-lover is fighting for the other team?**

 **Please leave a review of what you think or what I could improve on. Also favorite/ follow this story and don't forget to check out my other fanfics! Heiwa!**


	15. Revolt

**Chapter Fifteen: Revolt**

Najenda wasted no time to bust the doors wide open and march into the kitchen where everyone was. A concerned look on her face had changed the atmosphere of the room that was possibly happy and cheerful to worried.

Akame and Lilian had just finished serving everyone their meals with plates full of steak and eggs. Juro attempted to slide a love note over to Iris but failed as she picked it up and shoved it in his water. Only Neo was the one eating normally, trying his best not to let recent events affect him.

"I have a mission for all of you!" She announced.

Everyone gave their fullest attention. Akame snuck some of the bacon strips, she had cooked herself, into her mouth.

"The Loyalist Army has attacked a small village called Ayrith. All of you are to head there and repel the attack until the army can come and assist!"

No one bothered to question why they had to go first. Some knew the army took it's time to move a large group of soldiers and Najenda must've assumed sending a smaller force would be faster.

"One last thing before you go!" She shouted as everyone stood up. "There is a teigu user among the Loyalist Army's ranks, so be ready."

 _ **Operation Demon's Grasp (11 Days Remaining)**_

* * *

 _ **Ayrith**_

Neo quickly jumped off his horse and cut down several Loyalist soldiers as they aimed their rifles at him. Lilian and Akame soon joined him, cutting down more soldiers as a large explosion went off by a nearby house. The looked at the house crumble away from it's weakened foundation onto several militia, as they tried to push the Loyalist Army back.

"Akame, take Lilian and head flank right." Neo ordered. "If I remember my old military days, they should have a weak defensive line you guys should be able to break through."

Akame and Lilian both nodded their heads before another explosion occurred near them, knocking all three down on the ground.

Neo slowly opened his eyes, his ears ringing from the blast as a cannonball came crashing down on him. Suddenly, the cannonball disappeared right before his eyes, surprising him.

"Neo! Darling! Are you alright?!" Iris shouted as Juro followed her.

Neo nodded his head as he stood up with Akame and Lilian standing back up as well.

"More soldiers! Incoming!" A militia soldier shouted before being riddled with bullets.

Neo looked around the area for anything they could take cover behind before several more cannonballs came in their direction.

Wasting no time, Iris' tiara began to glow, causing several of the cannonballs to disappear, while the others landed further away from them. Juro and Akame then rushed the squad of Loyalist soldiers, quickly cutting them down.

"Juro, take Iris and begin regrouping any surviving militia. Tend to any wounded you find as well. Akame! You, Lilian and I will take their right flank. We need to take down the head officer or the assault won't stop." Neo ordered to everyone's agreement.

Juro began to sprint through a destroyed building, still standing, with several walls knocked down. Iris began following him, complaining of not being able to be with Neo during the fight.

Neo then looked at Akame and Lilian, both prepared to move. However, just as they did, a large root began to slowly come out of the ground before flinging Neo far away from the group; leaving Akame and Lilian alone.

"Neo!" Lilian shouted.

"Lilian, stay focus!" Akame yelled as the root sprouted even more roots that went straight for the two of them.

Akame easily sliced the roots while Lilian smashed a support beam to a building, crushing the roots.

"You both dodged that easier than I thought." A voice echoed in the area they were in.

Both Akame and Lilian put their backs together, watching their point of view for any enemies. Soon, more roots grew out of the ground, surrounding the two, and began attacking them. Both of the girls started slicing the roots with ease, using each other as support.

Suddenly, a larger root sprouted from underneath them, causing them to nearly lose their balance as they jumped off and into the group of roots waiting for them.

Akame had no trouble keeping the roots away while in the air as she landed safely on the ground with several pieces of the roots falling from the sky and onto the ground. Lilian, however, got caught by some of the roots as it began to shake her violently until it ultimately slammed her on the ground; knocking the air out of her.

"I'm surprise you're still alive." The voice said as a man dressed in tribal clothing rose in the air, riding a large root. "I guess this will be fun."

Akame angrily looked at the man before rushing over to Lilian's aid, cutting down the remaining roots that surrounded her.

"Lilian, are you okay?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the man.

"Y-Yeah." Lilian said as she slowly stood up. "It's just…" Her eyes soon widened as she viewed the area around her.

Several building were collapsed and on fire with multiple roots sticking out from the ground. Their spot was no better as they stood on a destroyed brick wall that had toppled over after a fired cannonball.

"I-I've seen this before." She said frightened as her eyes slowly made their way to the man standing above them. "D-Don't tell me…"

"What is it, Lilian?" Akame asked, quickly looking back at her friend.

"You killed my family." Lilian said as she looked at the man.

The man smirked as he jumped down from the top of the root, landing several feet from the two of them. The head of a danger beast he was wearing as a hat shifted slightly as he threw it off his head, revealing his bald head.

"I'm assuming you're a survivor then." The man said as he glared at Lilian. "To think I got to cocky."

"Lilian, who is this man?" Akame asked. "Is he the teigu user Najenda warned us about?"

The man took no time but to give a thumbs up to the two of them and wink.

"I am Cebel, a member of Demon's Grasp." He said. "I will also be the last face you both see."

Without taking anymore time to talk, Akame quickly sprinted towards Cebel at full speed. Lilian watched in horror as she tried to shout to her but couldn't find the words to speak.

Cebel simply grinned as he slammed an open palm on the ground, raising a large block of wood right in front of Akame, knocking her back as she slid back to Lilian, still facing Cebel.

"That's some teigu you have." Akame chuckled. "I wasn't aware there was a teigu that could control wood."

"Well you see, Akame." Cebel eyed her. "My teigu is like the late Esdeath's. Blood taken from a danger beast that could control the environment, namely wood, around it and use it to hid itself as well as attack."

"So you can manipulate wood then?" Akame quesitoned.

Cebel nodded his head. "Esdeath wasn't the only one who drank demon's extract. In fact there were different ones created. Ice, wood, fire, lighting, air, earth, water, and possibly many more. But, after the great war, half the teigu were lost. I just happened to find the Demon's Extract: Wood, in my tribes temple. Of course entering it was forbidden but something about it drove me to discover this. After I drank it, I immediately used it to kill my entire tribe." He grinned.

Akame, unyielding, simply glared at Cebel as he began to laugh at his memories.

"The look on their faces." He laughed. "But, I couldn't stop there, so I went to a lone village and murdered everyone there. I especially remember a family that cried for their daughter's safety as I killed the boy then the wife then the husband. To top it off, I used my teigu to drive roots through their bodies to make it look like they were still alive!"

Akame quickly looked at Lilian who was soaking in tears. She shook as Cebel continued to laugh and admire his horrible work.

"Mommy, daddy, little brother…." She cried. "I'm sorry!"

"Yes, that's it!" Cebel grinned. "Cry it all out, because I'm going to use your body as a scarecrow so I have the complete family collection."

Lilian immediately looked up at Cebel who had his arms stretched out like a god. The thought of him still carrying his family around made her sick as she threw up on the ground. Akame immediately went by her side and rubbed her back.

"It'll be alright Lilian." Akame said as she stopped rubbing her back. "I'm going to finish him." She vowed as she stood up.

Lilian's hand then shot up and grabbed Akame's wrist, stopping the red eye assassin.

"No…" She sniffed as she slowly stood back up. "I'll kill him." The determination in her eyes was enough for Akame to nod in approval.

"Be careful." She said.

"I will." Lilian said as she wiped her remaining tears and slowly began walking forward to Cebel. " _Mommy, daddy, Thies. I promised long ago to find and kill your murderer. Well, here he is now and I won't let him get away. Even if I'm scared."_

Cebel watched as Lilian slowly pulled out Yatsufusa and raised it in the air, causing a small black ball to form before the ground around her began to shake. Interested in what would happen, Cebel jumped on top of his wooden block, he used to stop Akame, for a better view.

The ground next to Lilian slowly began to rise as a claw broke through. Soon an arm, then the shoulder then, before Akame or Cebel knew it, the large head of a danger beast came out and stood on all four of it's legs. It began scratching the ground with it's claws, ready to charge at Lilian's command. It's head had a large horn growing from it's nose, and it's eyes were empty. Most of it's teeth were missing but sharp canine teeth made up for the missing spots. It's entire body was covered in green moss with it's under belly brown from mud.

"Lilian, is that?" Akame asked, surprised.

"A swamp danger beast." Lilian said in her serious tone. "I ran into this on my way back after Abel was killed. Luckily, I managed to kill it before it found me."

"I see." Akame smiled before her mouth started to water.

"Don't eat him." Lilian said, disappointing Akame.

"Oh, a danger beast from the swamp? Never faced one before, this will be interesting." Cebel said, now in his normal calm tone.

"What happened to your crazy mental mind breaking mood?" Lilian asked as she jumped on top of the beast.

"Let's just say I enjoy a laugh everyone once in a while." Cebel said as he placed his hands on the wood block and caused it to morph into a skinny pole with several spears sticking out.

Cebel then proceeded to break off two of the spears and throw them at Lilian who managed to block them with the danger beasts horn.

"Don't think you can take Kryz, he's already dead. So killing him again won't work." Lilian said as she tapped her foot on Kryz's back, prompting it to begin charging at Cebel.

" _She named the beast?_ " Cebel questioned before quickly kicking up the remaining spears around him and throwing them.

Kryz managed to knock all of the spears out of the air, allowing Lilian to run and jump from the top of it's head and into the air. Cebel, on the other hand, clapped both his hands together and placed them on the ground, expanding the skinny wood tower to prepare for the impact Kryz was about to inflict.

As Kryz slammed it's massive body into the wooden block. Cebel used several roots underneath the danger beast to lift it into the air, flinging it high, just as Lilian landed behind him and began swinging her blade at him.

Dodging each attack, Cebel quickly formed a small club, made of wood, into his hand and started fighting Lilian, the two evenly matched as Lilian lunged straight only for Cebel to parry.

Lilian then swung far right, allowing Cebel the advantage to smash the club against Lilian's knees only to miss as she jumped in time to kick his chest, knocking him down.

"You lose." She bluntly said as she stabbed Cebel in the chest.

Cebel grabbed onto her sword and began pushing it further to his body, dragging Lilian closer, scaring her as Akame watched with an intensifying look.

"You...lose…" Cebel coughed up blood as he formed the club in his hand into a spear and stabbed Lilian in the abdomen.

Lilian's eyes went wide and blank as she stood frozen with a spear in sticking through her. The blood around her wound slowly flowed out as she collapsed on her knees and began coughing up blood.

Cebel, nearly losing consciousness, slowly pulled her sword out from hi body and tossed it to the side. The wood block the two were on was beginning to lower itself into the ground as they stayed where they were, bleeding to death.

"I have to say…" Cebel weakly said. "I never once fought a teigu user so it'd make sense for my first fight to end in defeat."

"Shut up!" Lilian growled as she coughed more blood, holding her wound and trying to keep the blood from exiting.

"Well, we're both dead men so might as well enjoy our final moments." He chuckled as he painted his fingers with his blood and slowly moved his body over to Lilian.

Unable to move, Lilian shut her eyes before feeling Cebel's fingers on her face, forming lines underneath her eyes. She then opened her eyes to see him smirking as his hand collapsed.

"What...did you...do?" She asked, trying to hold in the pain.

"I marked you an honorable death." He said. "Something we did...in my...tr...tr...ibe…"

Cebel's voice faded away as he calmly shut his eyes. Lilian looked at her family's murderer looking almost peaceful in death as she tried to endure the pain of the spear in her.

As the wooden block finally reached the ground. Lilian watched as Cebel's body continued to go deeper into the ground, nearly forming himself with the wood as it left the area.

"Lilian!" Akame shouted as she ran towards her.

Lilian looked up at Akame and smiled as her eyes slowly began to shut. She began laughing in her mind about Cebel being the last person she would see, even though Akame was sprinting as fast as she could towards her.

"Liar." She smiled as she shut her eyes.

 **Horrors from the past coming back to haunt you. What do you do? You kill it! That's what Lilian did. Now with Cebel out of the way, Demon's Grasp is down to three members again. But now the Loyalist Army has finally made it's move and are starting to attack towns to take back their territory. How will Night Raid be able to counter this?**

 **Please leave a review of what you thought or what I could improve on. Also don't forget to favorite/follow this story. Heiwa!**


	16. The Noble's Wish

**Chapter Sixteen: The Noble's Wish**

 _ **Imperial Capital (Emergency Room)**_

 _ **Operation Demon's Grasp: Two Days Remaining**_

"How's Lilian doing?" Najenda asked as Akame exited from the operating room.

Most of her body was covered in blood but none of the blood stained her from the white outfits the doctors provided her. Akame could only look and shake at the sight of blood on her hands as she tried her best not to tear up.

"The spear inside her ended up growing more branches which spread through most of her body." Akame informed Najenda as the leader spat out her cigarette and leaned against the wall, arms folded and her full attention on Akame. "If Juro hadn't arrived in time to provide some medical assistance, she would've died."

Najenda could only sigh as she ran her hand down her face. The battle with Demon's Grasp was taking a heavy toll on both sides. Demon's Grasp was now down to three members from the five they started off with. Night Raid had seven members but lost two as well with Lilian incapacitated for the time.

"Demon's Grasp." Najenda said. "A dangerous group and they know how to use their teigu well. If it wasn't for Callen, Abel and Lilian's quick thinking, we may have lost the capital a long time ago."

"We shouldn't forget their sacrifices." Akame said. "But now is the time we need to be wary of the remaining Demon's Grasp members. With the Loyalist Army now making its way onto the capital."

"True. Right now, I'm having Juro and Iris escort a council member to several villages to give them some moral support."

* * *

 _ **Southern Road**_

"So we're supposed to guard some lady from the Loyalist Army?" Juro asked, as he and Iris walked down the dirt path.

"Not just some lady." Iris sighed. "She's a member of the council, helping make decisions about how to keep the country together. After the events with the last Prime Minister, this country has been plummeting down the toilet even with the new laws added to help support everyone."

"I'm not much of a political guy myself but it looks like everyone is doing fine." Juro said as he snatched a loose, hanging branch from a tree.

Iris sighed. "It's a good thing people, like me, are in charge of making rules. Letting sweaty monkeys, like you, would just put the country in even more turmoil than it needs to be."

Juro laughed at her insult as he tossed the branch, he had been playing with, a side.

"So, where are we supposed to meet her?" He asked, growing bored of walking.

"From the map, it says around here." Iris said as she examined the small map she was given before their mission. "That's weird, shouldn't there be any soldiers around?"

"Iris…" Juro said as he walked over to a bush.

Iris walked over to him and her face nearly threw up as they found several bodies lying behind the bush. All of the bodies were mutilated to some extent. Some had there skins ripped off while others heads were turned a complete 180. Most of them were soldiers for the Empire while one was dressed like a noble. Her hair had been ripped from her head and her eyes gouged out. All of her fingers were bent backward, digging into her hands. Where her face was had been almost erased by the missing skin with several teeth still inside the mouth.

"Is that...the council member?" Iris asked, trying to contain herself.

"I thought it seemed weird how this bush was growing like this." Juro said as he easily lifted it. "But it turns out it was uprooted moved here to hide the bodies."

"Very good observation!" A voice said, prompting Juro and Iris to jump away from the bodies.

One of the bodies soon exploded, causing the rest to scatter throughout the woods. Luckily, none of the body parts, or blood, reached outside from behind the bush.

"Who's there?" Juro demanded as he pulled out his teigu.

Suddenly, Nisha jumped down from the tree she was hiding in. Her coat was partly soaked in blood and her hands bruised a bit.

"I'm assuming you did this?" Juro angrily asked.

"I don't see anyone else." Nisha grinned. "Listen, I have a favor to ask you two."

"Screw that! You're going to die today!" Juro said as he charged her.

Nisha sighed as she pulled her fist back then launched it, smacking Juro straight in the face. During that time, Juro attempted to swing his blade at her but the metal bounced off, surprising him.

As Juro hit the ground, Iris ran over to him and checked his face to see if he was bleeding. Nisha, on the other hand, was flicking her hand after punching him.

"I don't want to fight." She said. "I just want you two to deliver a message."

"Yeah right." Juro said as he slowly got up.

"Juro, don't." Iris warned. "She's on a complete different level than you."

"So be it then…" He grinned as he sprinted towards Nisha again.

This time, Nisha dodged his attack and elbowed his rib, cracking several of them, before landing a kick behind his legs, knocking him down.

Juro, struggling to stand up, stabbed his broken ribs with his sword as a green energy began to glow around the blade and his wound. Nisha was surprised by the swords ability as she patiently waited for Juro to stand back up.

"That's quite the teigu you have." She said, looking closely at the small leaf imprint on it's side. "I don't suppose your teigu can heal and curse your enemies...can it?"

"Heh, you're pretty smart for someone your age." Juro taunted with Iris sighing in the back ground.

"Well, makes no difference really." Nisha said as she ran her fingers through her blue hair. "If you want to fight, so be it. With your teigu, I can keep beating you up until I get bored."

"You seem pretty confident in yourself." Juro said as he prepared to attack again. "But I'll kill you first. I've already have your teigu figured out."

"You do?" Both Iris and Nisha asked surprised.

"Yep." Juro smiled. "You can't be hurt in the stomach!"

Both Iris and Nisha seemed disappointed in his answer while Juro applauded himself for his deduction skills.

"How did you find the bodies again?" Nisha wondered with Iris shrugging her shoulders. "Well, that part is true but how about you attack me and you'll find out a little more about my teigu."

Juro grinned as he immediately took off with his newly healed wound. The two clashed this time with Nisha also sprinting towards him. As the two fought, Iris seemed worried about if she should join in or not.

Nisha stopped the blade with her left arm and countered with her right, hitting Juro in the chest. Juro quickly used his other blade to strike at Nisha's head but missed after she ducked and swept her leg under him, knocking him to the ground.

Without much struggle, Nisha wasted no time in saddling him and begin throwing a barrage of punches to his face; knocking out teeth, causing his nose to bleed and even damaging his eyesight a little.

"What's the matter?" Nisha asked. "I thought you were going to kill me?" She mocked his words as she continued punching him.

Iris, still watching, began having a relapse of the time Juro and her were held hostage and Hywel and the guard beat him senseless.

"Why?" She asked, tears running down her cheeks. "Why does it always have to be him?"

Iris lifted up her head, tears flowing down her face as she continued to watch Nisha assault Juro with the latter unable to defend himself.

"I've had enough of this." Iris said as she adjusted her crown. "Imitation World."

Nisha stopped punching Juro as she noticed her surroundings were beginning to change. All around, the trees, road and even the sky were turning purple. Looking down, she even noticed that Juro had vanished as well.

"Hmph, it's about time I got a real challenge." Nisha said as she stepped to the side, watching a small dagger pass by. "But, I'm fully prepared for the unexpected. I must be stronger than Esdeath after all."

Nisha then clapped her hands together and shut her eyes, concentrating. In her mind, she listened for the sound of the knife appearing again and waited for the opportunity for it to come at her. As soon as it got close, Nisha quickly dodged to the side and grabbed the handle to blade and forcefully turned it around, causing it to stab something in the air.

Soon, the purple atmosphere slowly faded away as Nisha found Iris bleeding with a knife stuck in her stomach. Iris was frozen while Juro watched in horror as she coughed up blood.

"So you like to trick people?" Nisha asked as she grabbed Iris' dress and began punching her repeatedly. "Well I'll tell you this, I don't like tricks." She coldly said.

"Iris, get out of there!" Juro yelled as he struggled to crawl to her.

"No Juro, you get out." Iris smiled, tears still running down her cheeks. "You need to live on after all."

"So do you!" Juro argued.

Iris shook her head. Nisha stopped and tossed her on the ground, spitting at her body.

"Juro, I have a wish. Will you promise to follow it?"

"Anything." Juro began to cry. "I love you after all."

"I want you to leave and live your life to the fullest." Iris cried. "Can you please do that?"

"Only if you're with me." Juro sobbed.

"Enough of this romantic stuff!" Nisha angrily yelled as she landed her foot on Iris' throat. "You there, boy, tell Neo to meet me where we first met and come alone. If he's not there by tomorrow night, then you can kiss all your lives goodbye. I'm not playing."

Nisha then applied pressure to Iris' throat, causing her to choke.

"Iris!" Juro shouted.

"Go…." She struggled to breath. "I'm sorry….."

Nisha placed all her might on Iris' throat, causing it to collapse as blood shot up and hit her in the face. Juro froze at the sight of Iris' body as Nisha ran off. Her blonde hair had now been soaked red with the blood that escaped her body. The painful look on her face as she struggled to survive was unbearable for him.

"Iris!" Juro cried into the air.

 **I'm sure this felt short but believe me this was kinda how I wanted it to go. Why? This is the prelude to the Lover's Arc, a.k.a Neo vs. Nisha. Anyway, back to the main topic, wow. Nisha is just as cold as Esdeath, maybe even more ruthless. I mean...just killing someone by smashing their throat with you foot is just….I don't have any words. Juro is probably going to either be in denial or maybe he'll snap. After all, he did love Iris since they first met….even though it was once sided.**

 **Please leave a review of what you thought or what I can improve on and don't forget to favorite or follow the story. By the way, I've posted a new story called Rise of a Generation. It's a Pokemon one so it's gonna be almost completely different than some of my other stories so please check it out. Heiwa!**


	17. We Meet Again

**Chapter Seventeen: We Meet Again**

Neo's eyes were wide when the news of Iris' death we reported to Najenda and their remaining members. Akame was quite, unable to speak and Najenda tried her hardest to prevent herself from exploding.

"Say that again…" Neo said, unconvinced by the officer, in the room, of the shocking news he had brought them.

"I'm sorry, but Iris Bristol has been killed-"

The guard was cut short as Neo punched him in the jaw, sending him flying across the room. Akame immediately stood up, from her chair, but was stopped by Najenda who could only shake her head. Unwillingly, Akame obliged to her silence and sat back down as Neo started throwing the chairs on the other end of the table down.

"It's not true!" He shouted. "She can't be dead, this is all a mistake."

"Neo, settle down!" Najenda sternly ordered him.

Neo quickly glared at her before taking out more of his frustration on the wall. His fist creating a bigger and bigger hole, each time he punched it.

"Neo, that's enough!" Najenda yelled. "Do you think Iris would want to see you like this?"

Neo stopped punching the wall, his fist nearly close to expanding the hole he made. He slowly put his hand down, bruised and bleeding a little from the tiny bits of stone and wood sticking in his hand.

"Don't you think Juro is suffering just as much as you are? Even Akame?" Najenda asked, looking at Akame before back at Neo.

"You...soldier…" He quietly said, not bothering to look at anyone but the ground. "What was the message _she_ left?"

The soldier, still on the ground, looked up at Najenda who nodded her approval of him telling the message Nisha gave Juro.

"She wants you to meet her, tonight, at the location you both first met." The soldier said before quickly leaving, not wanting to take another hit from Neo.

"Najenda…" Neo spoke again, just as quietly. "I have something to do."

"I understand." Najenda said as she pulled out her cigarette carton.

Akame, who had been silent the entire time, couldn't take anymore of not saying what was on her mind as she slammed both hands on the table and stood up. Neo finally gave her his attention, since looking at the ground.

"Neo, you can't go!" She yelled. "We can't lose anymore people, especially with Operation Demon's Grasp. We don't know when that will happen."

Neo quietly walked over to Akame and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving Akame the shivers as he forced a smile on his face. Akame blushed, a little, as Neo continued to smile before dropping the facade and giving her a serious look.

"Akame, this is something I have to do." Neo said without backing it with any reason.

He then turned and began walking out of the door with Akame about to grab him to stop him from going until Najenda grabbed her arm.

"Akame, do you remember when you left to fight Kurome?" Najenda asked Akame.

"Yeah." Akame sadly said.

"Remember how Tatsumi never wanted you to go but it was something you had to do?" Najenda added. "This is something only Neo can do."

"But what if he doesn't come back?" Akame asked, tears forming in her eyes. "I've lost so many friends now, that I'm afraid I'll continue to lose more and more until I die." She dropped to her knees, covering her face with her hands.

"Akame…" Najenda worriedly said as she knelt down beside her.

"Remember one thing, they'll always be watching over you." Najenda whispered into her ear before leaving a stunned Akame alone in the room.

Akame slowly looked over at the table and began seeing images of everyone when they first arrived in the capital and joined Night Raid. Abel was interested in the birds that were flying by the window while Callen didn't want to talk with anyone. Juro was happily proclaiming his love to Iris while she lovingly starred at Neo. Lilian was just starting to adjust to a new life as she scardly held onto Akame's own arm.

"Neo…" Akame said quietly to herself. "Please come back alive."

* * *

The moonlight was bright enough to illuminate the entire open field in the middle of the forest. Several trees had slowly began to grown in the empty area. Along the perimeter where several flowers, yellow, red, blue any color Neo could make out before he lost sight of them near the other end of the field.

Neo closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before opening them and looking up at the starry night sky. To him, all the stars were out to watch him and only him. The hope of carrying on his friend's will also tightly held to his heart as he grabbed his chest with his hand, tightly squeezing it before walking to the center of the field.

"This sure does bring back memories." He chuckled to himself as memories of his past began to appear in his head.

He suddenly stopped after noticing several people smiling and waving at him. All seemed to be having the time of their lives. One of the boys thought it would be a funny idea to wrap his arm around the boy next to him and start rubbing his fist on top of his head. Next to them, one of the girls began laughing while the other watched, worried for her friend. Soon, Neo began to see his younger self as he showed up with a younger Nisha. Both had their Imperial outfits on and at the time, Neo had his hair shorter and Nisha had hers wrapped into just a ponytail without the two bangs framing her face like she does now.

"How time flies." He smiled as the images went away.

"How it does indeed." Nisha said, prompting Neo to immediately focus his attention onto her.

Nisha was standing directly in front of him. Her large coat covering nearly every corner of her body except her feet. Her blue hair was blowing a tiny bit in the small breeze that passed by the two.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up." Nisha smiled. "It's good that we finally meet again."

"Yeah, well, after you stunt how could I refuse." Neo said, not giving Nisha the slightest bit of a warm greeting.

"Ah, don't be like that." Nisha giggled. "I know you were like that back in the old group but times passed and we've both changed."

"I may have changed, but you haven't in the slightest." Neo frowned. "And don't ever bring up the old group again. We should at least give them that much respect."

"What? After you betrayed them?" Nisha asked. "It doesn't make sense that a traitor like you would want respect for our old friends."

"I never betrayed anyone and you know it!" Neo argued.

Nisha smiled. "Oh but you have my sweet. You betrayed the one person who promised to always be there for you, no matter what."

"That was before I learned the truth behind the corruptness of the Empire. I had to leave." Neo growled. "Just thinking about it today makes me sick."

"Oh, I know." Nisha said. "I was even regretting fighting for the Empire and was willing to go with you, but then you vanished."

"I...I had a top secret mission no one was allowed to know about." Neo tried reasoning.

"Right, and what was that mission again?" Nisha put her finger to her chin, acting as though it was hard for her to remember.

"You know what it was, don't play dumb!" Neo yelled.

"My aren't we feisty." Nisha giggled. "That's the first time I've seen you like that."

"Shut up…" Neo quietly said.

"Oh come on, don't make me say it for you." Nisha rolled her eyes.

"Say what?" Neo asked, confused.

"Hello Nisha, your hair looks great today. Or don't you look cute." Nisha imitated Neo.

"Maybe in the past but now we're not together anymore." Neo said, turning away so Nisha wouldn't notice him blush.

"I know." Nisha laughed. "I've gotten over you after realizing you'd never return. And it only took me six months. So after that, I decided to train even harder."

"Always wanting to be like Esdeath, your dream still hasn't changed." Neo smiled, glad to hear Nisha at least had a goal.

"Well, it's about to come true soon." Nisha smiled.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked.

"Let's just continue talking and I'll tell you later." Nisha joked.

"No! Tell me now! What do you mean by that?!" Neo yelled, becoming scared of what he thought might come true.

"Hmm, I guess I'll tell you." Nisha sighed as she ripped off her coat, reveal a full copper plating armor underneath. Behind her legs were two small gems that brightened up the grass underneath her. "I've become strong enough that the Empire kept me!" She laughed, her arms stretched out.

"No….don't tell me…." Neo's eyes began to shake.

"Only one could survive in our group." Nisha grinned. "That's what we were told from the beginning we joined the dangerous life."

Neo angrily pulled out Senketsu and began slashing the ground multiple times, forming a small tetragram and stabbed the sword in the middle.

"I'm declaring that today, I will take responsibility from my mistake and finish what I started!" He declared, both his hands on the swords handle.

"And what will that be?" Nisha excitedly asked, preparing to fight.

Neo quickly pulled out his sword and aimed it at Nisha. A deathly growled in his voice as he looked at Nisha with eyes of a killer.

"I'm going to kill you like I should've back then!"

 **So, Nisha is bat **** crazy I guess. She apparently murdered their old group back then and to top it off, Neo attempted to kill her! Is that what his secret mission was? Or is there more to this story between these two ex-lovers? Find out more next chapter!**

 **Please leave a review of what you thought or what I could improve on and don't forget to favorite or follow this story. It is coming to a close soon so if you want to know when the next chapter comes out I strongly recommend you click one of those two options. Heiwa!**


	18. Pains of the Past

**Chapter Eighteen: Pains of the Past**

Neo ducked under Nisha's right arm as she tried hooking her elbow around his neck in order to snap it. He proceeded to swing Senketsu around her leg in order to shatter one of the gems but missed when Nisha placed her hand on him and sprung off the ground.

"I've seen you've gotten better." Nisha chuckled as she landed not far from him.

Neo quickly turned around and sprinted straight for her, the anger in his eyes as he swung Senketsu against Nisha's arm that protected her.

"You know you can't hurt me until you destroy those crystals." She told Neo. "Just like back then."

The two soon broke away from each other and took the time to catch their breaths; beginning to think up strategies to take the other down.

"Why did you join Demon's Grasp?" Neo asked as held Senketsu in both hands, pointing it directly at Nisha.

Nisha smiled. "I'm so glad you asked because I have a question for you as well and the only way I'm answering yours is if you answer mine." Nisha said as she prepared herself in a fighter's stance with both fist tightly clenched. Her left arm in front of her right as well as her left leg in front of her right. "Why did you leave?"

"Why did I-? You know the reason I left!" Neo said, his voice raising. "The horrors the Empire was committing were unbearable. People dying, left and right, children growing up starving. Disease, prostitution, slavery, murder, stealing, kidnapping, even rape. These were just the handful of things that the Empire was doing." Neo said, trying to not remember the painful memory. "And the worst part….I was helping support those ideals."

Neo looked up at the starry sky. Since their battle, the stars never seemed to have left. Even the moon looked as though it decided to stay and enjoy the show.

* * *

 _ **One Year Ago**_

The rain poured down heavy, causing the leaves on the trees, even the branches, to become soaking wet and put on a few extra pounds, causing the weaker twigs to break off. The sound of the thunder echoing right before the lightning cracked, scaring the horses the three men rode on as they race, full speed.

The muddy ground leaving behind the hoof prints of their animals. All three drenched in water, as too were the horses. The man taking the lead was holding in the pain as he held his bloodied left arm. A piece of broken steel and several bullet holes covered in red as he rode through the rain. The two behind him were in just worse conditions. One had a bandage over his right eye and his leg was splinted with broken tree branches. The other man, next to him, had bandaging around his head and his arm was in a pre-made sling.

"We're almost there!" The man in front shouted. "If we can reach the 2nd brigade, then we can repel the Empire's soldiers!"

"Watch out!" The man to the left shouted as the lightning came down, destroying a tree in their paths.

All three men immediately stopped their horses, the neighing and the lightning with all three men yelling to warn the other confused the horses to the point the man with the broken leg was soon bucked off his own steed.

The horse was in a frenzy as the man landed on the muddy ground, unable to move as the horse began bucking and jumping around, eventually crushing the man with its own hooves until he was dead. The two remaining me sadly looked at their fallen comrade, his chest kicked in, as the crazed horse ran off into the trees.

"Dammit!" The lead man said.

"Come on!" The other yelled. "We have to get out of here before-"

The man was soon cut off as a cloaked figure landed behind him and cut the man in half. The upper torso of his body slowly slid off and landed on the ground with his legs following right behind. The horse quickly ran away from the danger it sensed as the remaining man watched in horror as the figure slowly stood up.

"You bastard!" He shouted as he pulled out a small pistol and began firing.

The cloaked figure dodged each bullet and came up, cutting the man's hand off and forcing the gun to fall. The figure then proceeded to cut the man's legs and kicked him off his horse, allowing it to escape.

"Y-You! Please don't kill me! I surrender!" The man cried as he tried crawling his way away from the figure.

The figure slowly pulled off the hood covering their face, revealing short, messy, brown hair.

"Then you can die and I'll end the pain." Neo said as he stabbed his blade into the man's heart, instantly killing him.

"Neo!" A voice shouted as two more figures showed up. "Did you catch them?" A girls voice asked.

"Yeah." Neo said as he wiped his sword and placed it into its sheath. "To think they'd get this far."

"Their army surely would've heard the gun shots." A boy said as he readied his rifle. "We should leave quickly."

"Right." Neo agreed. "But first…." He said as he looked at the man he just killed.

Searching the man's body, Neo managed to pull out pieces of paper folded together. Part of the corners were soaked in blood while the rest was drenching wet. Neo wasted no time in ripping up the papers and discarding them into the mud where he then began kicking the papers into it, hiding them.

"Alright," He informed the other two. "Let's go."

* * *

As the three of them ran through the rain, a harsh wind began to pick up, slowing them down.

"Damn this ran." The boy said. "If I can't get a good shot then I'm killing it."

"Oh don't be like that Lucius." The girl teased. "You can't kill the wind, even if you did have a good shot."

"Hey! What was that, Samara?" Lucius asked. "I couldn't hear you over the loud noise from that night."

Samara's face turned immediately red as she began rapidly slapping Lucius' back but he was unaffected by it.

"Guys, stay focused." Neo said. "We still haven't gotten out of their army's-"

A sudden explosion appeared before them, causing them to all stop and take cover as several more followed through. Neo quickly started dashing through the explosions with Samara and Lucius right behind.

As the lightning cracked again, the light from it showed a shell headed directly for Lucius and Samara. Lucius quickly aimed his rifle and pulled the trigger. His bullet making its own course and hitting the shell, causing it to explode in mid air.

"Oh thank god, I thought we were dead." Samara let out a breath of relief.

"Keep running!" Neo shouted. "It's not over yet."

As the three continued running through the barrage of explosions, the sounds of a large army coming from both sides began to echo. Neo soon stopped the three as the last shell went off several yards from them.

"Watch out!" Neo shouted as he ran pass Samara and killed a man, dressed in rags.

Neo's sword went straight through the man before he swiped it up, cutting the man's upper body in half. Soon, several more men appeared, surrounding the three. Lucius wasted no time in firing his rifle, one shot at a time as each bullet hit every single man.

"It's the Revolutionary Army!" Samara shouted.

"We know." Lucius said. "So help us."

"Oh right." Samara said as she pulled out a bow and arrow from behind her.

She proceeded to run up a tree and land on its branch before aiming it at several soldiers headed straight for them.

"Let's see how they like arrows going through their throats." She grinned as she released her arrow.

Her arrow soon multiplied into several more arrows, each one headed for its own target.

The unsuspecting soldiers continued to run, unaware of Samara's arrows until each one went through their throats. All the men began choking on their own blood, attempting to get any air into their lungs before ultimately choking to death.

"That was easy." Samara smiled as she could hear several gun shots coming Lucius, down below.

Lucius had just finished executing a soldier before ducking underneath another's sword. Lucius then proceeded to smack the soldier with the butt of his weapon. The soldier took a few steps back, dazed by the attack before rushing straight for him only to be shot through the skull.

"Huh, my aim was off by just a centimeter." Lucius sighed as he went to go after the incoming reinforcements.

Just a few meters from the two of them. Neo was in a deadlock with five soldiers surrounding him as he quickly moved to block their attacks. With his speed, he slowly increased it as he started moving faster and faster, blocking each other soldiers attacks until they couldn't keep up. Neo then went in for the kill. He sliced each soldier's chest before coming around all of them and slamming his sword on the ground.

Biting his thumb and causing blood to come out as he placed the drop on the hilt and clasped his hands together.

"Die!" He shouted.

All the soldiers suddenly began to go mad before killing each other off and the last one remaining stabbed himself.

Neo smirked at his work as he pulled out his sword. "That was easy, especially with Fluch by my side."

Just as he he went to clean his sword, two more soldiers appeared from the trees only to be smashed into the ground by a third figure showing up. Neo turned around to see Nisha on top of the now deceased men, her face shining bright.

"If I couldn't take these two down easily, then I can't be strong like Esdeath." She proudly said.

"Jeez Nisha, what took you so long?" Neo sighed with a happy smile on his face.

Nisha giggled before she pointed at the soldiers now retreating. Soon, Empire soldiers arrived with Budo riding on his horse and chasing after the Revolutionary soldiers.

"Well, it's not like we couldn't handle them." Neo smirked as he sheathed his sword.

* * *

 _ **Present Day**_

Neo and Nisha both clashed with each other once more, the other trying to overpower their opponent. Nisha smirked, confusing Neo, until he realized that she managed to find an opening and slam her fist into his rib cage, cracking several bones as he flew back.

Nisha smiled as she raised her fist and kissed it before charging Neo. Neo quickly jumped back up, withstanding the pain from his broken ribs and began quickly attacking and deflecting each of Nisha's attacks.

The two were evenly matched as Nisha went for a right hook that Neo used the flat side of Senketsu and caused it to slide away from him. Neo quickly noticed an opening and took the chance, only to miss once Nisha dropped to the ground.

The Demon's Grasp member then stood on both of her hands and kicked Neo in the stomach, sending him back but Neo managed to recover quickly, stabbing Senketsu into the ground and slowing down his speed until he stopped.

"To think, I haven't landed a single blow yet." Neo breathed heavy, holding his side where his ribs were broke. " _Damn this pain._ " He thought to himself as Nisha began to stand back up. " _I need to get behind her somehow._ "

"Oh Neo." Nisha sang.

Neo looked at Nisha who was messing with several parts of her armor, causing her leg plates and arm guards to fall on the ground, revealing black pants and a long black sleeved shirt.

"I'll make it easier for you." She taunted. "After all, you've always needed help."

"Just don't regret when I kill you!" Neo shouted as he sprinted for Nisha, and Nisha doing the same.

* * *

 _ **One Year Ago (Imperial Capital)**_

"What do you mean a secret mission?" Nisha asked as Neo stood in front of the door.

Neo didn't speak, his black cloak concealing most of his face and allowing him to blend in with the night sky. Around his waist was a small dagger and pistol. His teigu on the table.

"All I know is that I'll be gone for a few weeks." Neo replied before turning around, smiling at her. "But don't worry, I'll be back."

Without another word, Neo quickly darted into the night time streets, disappearing into the shadows while leaving an almost heartbroken Nisha in front of the door.

She slowly placed a hand over her heart and closed her eyes.

"Neo, please be safe." She whispered.

* * *

 _ **Two Months After**_

 _It has been about two months since Neo left on his top secret mission. The details I still don't know about but it seems the mission will be taking longer than predicted. Samara and Lucius were both killed after the first month he was gone, both believed to be traitors. Their teigu have been confiscated and they were hanged. I honestly can't stand traitors but when several officers approached me, asking about Neo, I told them that he would never betray us. However, I'm beginning to get this strange feeling that Neo's top secret mission is a lie. Anyway, I'm the only one left now, both of my squadmates ended up dying. Loria died from an incurable disease, the name the doctors still haven't come up with yet. Shiro was captured by Revolutionary soldiers and died during an attempt to escape. His teigu was lost in the river he tried swimming in before the soldiers shot him. At least, that's what I've been told by the rescue squad. I really hope Neo comes back soon. It feels really lonely without him here now that everyone is dead._

 _-Nisha Baskey, 2nd Lt. of the Special Operations Unit_

Nisha placed her pen down and looked out the window. Her eyes beginning to grow tired as she yawned at the nighttime sky. Not a single star was in view and the moon was deciding to hide behind the clouds tonight.

"He'll come back. I just know it." Nisha reaffirmed herself as she blew out the candle.

Just as she stood up, Nisha quickly jumped out of the way as a small explosive crashed through her window. Moving fast, she grabbed a small bowl from her desk and threw it on top of the explosive, causing the bowl to shatter and the shards fly everywhere. Luckily for her, Nisha grabbed the pillow from her bed and used it to protect her upper body, her legs receiving several cuts with a few shards in her legs.

Just as she dropped the pillow, a cloaked individual jumped through the window and quickly swung their knife at her, but missed as Nisha grabbed her own dagger from underneath the other pillow and blocked the attack.

Nisha struggled to keep up with the strangers strength as her hands began to shake, causing both of their blades to shake until the stranger knocked the knife out of her hands. The stranger then proceeded to knock Nisha down and pull out their pistol, aiming it at Nisha's head as the girl worriedly thought she was about to die.

"Leave the capital and never come back." The stranger said before quickly fleeing.

Confused, Nisha chased after the figure, trying to keep up but was no match for their speed. She soon stopped in the middle of and intersection with several street lights still on. All the roads were silent as the people were sleeping. A small cat, sleeping in front of a shop, went through the small door, made for it, trying to find some peace and quiet.

"Was that….Neo?" She wondered, remembering back to the knife and pistol the man pulled on her. "But...why?"

* * *

 _ **Present Day**_

Nisha stepped to the side, avoiding Neo's lunge and allowing her, the chance, to land a critical blow to his spine.

Neo felt the force of her hand bash against his back, nearly cracking his spin. He hit the ground hard, losing Senketsu, as it continued flying out of his hand. He slowly turned around, on his back, barely managing to avoid Nisha's foot, attempting to stomp his head in.

"Come on Neo." Nisha giggled. "I ignored you and stayed in the capital until Hades found me. So you'll have to kill me now!"

 **Neo is in deep now. There is no way he'll be able to keep up with Nisha, even after she removed parts of her armor. But, the Night Raid assassin can't just give up yet.**

 **Please leave a review of what you thought or what I can improve on and don't forget to favorite/follow the story.**

 **Also, one last thing. I'm getting close to ending this story soon with a few more chapters. Raise the Level has one chapter left and so I'll be focusing more of my time on this story, until it's done, then Empire High II. While I write and try to finish the stories up, I've already started two new stories, Rise of a Generation (Pokemon) and Simple Foods (Shokugeki no Soma). However, I want to write three stories so that is where you guys come in. After you're done reading this, go onto my profile and take the poll I have set up. There are three options for the third story for me to write; Akame ga Kill, DanMachi, or a different anime that you guys will pm me. I will then take the two most asked anime and have a poll set up for them and the winner is the one I will write. Thank you guys for taking the time to read this. Heiwa!**


	19. Farewell

**Chapter Nineteen: Farewell**

Neo swung his sword behind Nisha, managing to chip and break one of the gems holding her armor together. However, Nisha managed to grab his arm and slam her fist against it, shattering his bone and causing it to go limp.

Neo yelled in pain as he attempted to jump away, only to have his left leg broken, as well. After Nisha was finished breaking the bone connecting to his knee, she slammed her fist into his chest, sending him hurling away from her.

"Damn, he got my armor." Nisha told herself as her armor slowly broke away, leaving a few parts left. "I'll have to finish him here and now. I won't get another chance."

As Neo landed on the ground, he could tell that his arm and leg were no longer functioning. The bone inside were too shattered for him to move. Looking to his side, he could see Nisha preparing for one last attack; one he was sure he'll die in.

"Heh, to think I still haven't caught up to her yet." He chuckled to himself. "Lucius. Samara. Sorry, but it looks like I'll be seeing you two soon. I know we've promised to live for the others, but it looks like my time has finally come."

Neo slowly lifted himself up with his uninjured arm. Grabbing Senketsu, he examined the blades scratches and dirt with some blood marks on the steel. The handle was nearly worn and the hand guards looked ready to pop off at any time.

"I wonder how long it's been since I first found this?" He wondered to himself. "No doubt it's been quite sometime. I can see the tiny dent from when I found it."

Neo took another look at Nisha, she had just finished peeling off the rest of the loose armor and was stuck with the platebody. Everything from her waist down and arms were off, revealing black clothing.

"Nisha, you've always been unfashionable. I guess that's one of the things that made me fall for you." Neo commented, a smile forming on his face as he looked up at the starry sky. "Still night time and stars have moved quite a distance, no doubt Akame is worried. I should've told her to not be concerned with me in this. Oh well, it can't be helped I guess."

Neo slowly pressed the small jewel centered in the middle of the hilt. Senketsu soon began it's transformation as the entire turned into a small sized canon. Neo rested the canon on his shoulder of his broken arm. Using his free arm, he helped steadied the canon before placing his finger on the trigger.

"Now...come!" He yelled at Nisha.

Nisha, seemed surprised by the canon on Neo's shoulder. She, however, didn't waste anytime as she started rushing him and slammed her fist into her open palm.

"Reinforce knuckles!" She shouted, causing her fist to glow bright white. "This will take you out for good!"

"Like hell it will!" Neo shouted as he placed his finger over the trigger.

"Now...die!" The both yelled in unison as Nisha threw her punch and Neo pulled the trigger, causing a large blast to come out of the barrel.

Both Nisha's fist and the blast from Neo's canon collided, causing a large explosion and bright white light to blind the two of them. Senketsu slowly crumbled away in Neo's hands, the assassin knowing the blast was too much for the teigu to handle. Just as Neo covered his eyes from the light, Nisha appeared before him, her arm completely disintegrated from the blast, as she pulled out a small knife and stabbed Neo in the stomach.

Letting go of the knife, Nisha tried to punch Neo but he managed to catch her punch with his free hand. The two stood in a standstill as the light slowly faded away, revealing the night sky again. The ground underneath them had been completely torn away from the blast and several trees around them had either been knocked over or lost most of their branches.

"Heh, to think you could withstand the blast radius like that." Nisha coughed up blood, the remaining parts to her armor falling off. "I guess I didn't make it then either." She chuckled.

Neo, still holding her fist, was breathing heavy from the last attack. Blood was slowly coming out of the knife wound Nisha had just made him. It was only a matter of time.

Trying to move quickly, Neo pushed Nisha's fist away and pulled the knife from his stomach and went to stab her but was stopped by her hand this time.

"You've gotten a lot quicker since last time." Nisha smiled. "It's a shame it all went to waste."

"You're one to talk. I don't think…." He immediately began coughing, trying to get oxygen into his lungs. " _Dammit, that blast really did a number on me._ " He thought.

"Let's face it, we're both in the same…..boat." Nisha finished gasping for air. "The blast….was meant….to…..take….away air."

"You knew?" Neo asked with Nisha simply nodding her head.

"I….I've been…..I've been watching." She gasped before dropping to one knee.

Neo soon fell to her level too. His eyesight starting to get blurry. He could tell there was only a few minutes left.

"Nisha…" Neo tried speaking but Nisha shook her head.

"I just want to say…." She tried using as much air as possible. "I'm happy to see you last….even if it's...by...your…..your hand."

Shocked, Nisha let go of Neo's hand, letting him stab her in the chest, ultimately killing her. Unable to let go of the knife, Neo kept his hand near her, as her body fell to the ground.

"Nisha…" Neo said, tears starting to come out of his eyes. "I'll take you….back….for a proper...burial...dammit." He grunted as he fell next to her.

Slowly looking to his left, Neo could see a smile on Nisha's face. She seemed almost peaceful sleeping, despite the blood coming from her mouth. He slowly tried moving his free arm but found it impossible, it stopped wanting to move.

"Heh…." He tried laughing. "Some life…." He told himself, remembering the old days, back in the Empire before deserting. Then, later on discovering Senketsu and soon aiding Akame and the others to stop a small group only to find out they belong to Demon's Grasp.

Tears began to slowly roll down his eyes, his vision getting blurrier and blurrier. However, just as he's nearly lost all sight, he could make out a figure landing in the area and rushing over to him and Nisha.

"Sorry….Akame…." He said, the rest of his breath escaping his body.

* * *

Akame looked down at Neo's and Nisha's body. Both badly beaten with Nisha missing an arm and Neo's arm and leg completely smashed. She could just tell the fight they had was one they intended to take the other down, at any cost.

"Neo…" Akame said silently. "You did well…." She smiled before walking over to a spot a few feet from the two and began digging a hole, using Murasame as a shovel.

As the hours passed, Akame began to remember events that happened in Night Raid before the Empire's fall. Everyone happily getting along, recruiting Tatsumi, then slowly, losing each person precious to her. Even killing her own sister for her own sake. The pain becoming too much as Akame began to closely relate the past to the present.

"It seems no matter who I befriend, this job takes them away." She whispered as she placed the last of the dirt back in the hole.

Akame then prayed in front of the two graves she dug, with two handmade crosses.

"Neo, your sacrifice will not be in vain." Akame said. "We'll stop the rest of Demon's Grasp and secure everyone's future."

 _ **Operation Demon's Grasp (One Day Left)**_

 **There you have it. Two ex lovers now dead. These two really seemed to want to kill the other but probably out of love, right? Anyway, now that Nisha and Neo are gone, both Night Raid and Demon's Grasp are down to their last few members. Juro and Akame for Night Raid. Pluto and Nyx for Demon's Grasp. With the operation coming shortly, who knows if Night Raid will having a fighting chance.**

 **Please leave a review and don't forget to favorite/ follow. Also, please vote in the poll I have set up as well. Heiwa!**

 **Next time: Siege; The Operation Begins!**


	20. Siege- The Operation Begins!

**Chapter Twenty: Siege; The Operation Begins!**

"Ms. Najenda!" A soldier bursted through the doors into the main meeting room.

Najenda, Akame and Juro all looked up to see a panicked face on the soldier. His breathing heavy and his eyes shaking. Everything about him spelt trouble as Najenda nodded her head and immediately took off.

"Akame! Juro!" She shouted as she left the room.

"Right!" Akame and Juro both nodded, following right after.

As the three of them ran down the hallway, the soldier joined them, using the last out of his breath before he exhausted him to tell Najenda what was going on.

"The Loyalist Army has appeared near the southern wall. They've already begun their siege on the city." The soldier informed her.

"So it's begun already?" Najenda quietly spoke. "Send all available troops to defend the wall. All citizens are to be safely escorted out until reinforcements arrived."

"Understood!" The soldier saluted, turning the corner.

"Akame, I want you to defend the citizens." Najenda ordered. "Juro, you try and infiltrate their ranks. Take out their leader."

"Right!" The two said in unison before bolting off ahead of Najenda.

* * *

"Wow, look at the size of that wall!" Nyx said impressed, as she examined the wall from the top of the hill her and Pluto were on.

The sound of cannon fire, close to them, echoed through the air before small explosions landed close to the wall, not hitting it.

"You sound like you've never been to the capital before." Pluto suggested.

"Never bothered." Nyx told him. "I just didn't feel the need too."

"More like you were too lazy." Pluto commented.

"Was not!" Nyx argued.

Pluto shook his head. "Did you plant the explosives like I've asked you too?"

"Yeah yeah." Nyx rolled her eyes. "Even the recon team managed to place some in the gunpowder room."

"Good." Pluto said as he turned around to face a large army of Loyalist soldiers.

Each soldier seemed readied to charge at the sound. Each holding a rifle or sword, each with an evil look in their eye.

"Soldiers! Today, we conquer what has been stolen from us!" Pluto shouted, raising a large roar. "Once the wall is gone, feel free to do as you please!"

Pluto slowly took out an arrow and placed it in his bow and pulled it back. He carefully concentrated, ignoring the shouts of impatient soldiers and the blasts from the cannons. Soon, he released the arrow; letting fly and zip through the air, practically invisible to the naked eye.

"Charge!" Pluto yelled as the soldiers began rushing their way towards the wall. "Nyx, you go too. I'll stay back with the artillery and provide support."

"Suit yourself." Nyx shrugged, sprinting at an incredible speed and nearly reaching the wall.

"Now then, who will Night Raid send to take her?" Pluto wondered. "And who will they send to take me?"

* * *

As Akame and Juro ran outside, the sounds of cannon fire could be heard as citizens began running in panic. A mother was trying to calm her baby while the father attempted to take them somewhere safe, a rifle hanging on his shoulder.

Akame and Juro both nodded as Akame went directly south while Juro entered a small tavern.

The inside was small and compact but Juro pulled a glass from it's spot from the rack out. Suddenly, the sounds of steel grinding against each other as the building shook; soon revealing a door leading to an underground tunnel.

"Good thing the Empire had these installed." Juro smiled. "Otherwise I would waste more energy just trying to leave the city."

* * *

Akame darted through the streets, a strong determination to keep the invaders out from the city. Luckily, as she reached the wall, it was still intact. However, many citizens were running the opposite way, away from the cannon fire as it sounded as though it was getting closer and closer.

"Good, I still made it in time." She told herself before jumping on top of a box, onto the roof of a building to get a better view of the area.

The southern district was mainly known for it's high crime. Prostitution, robbery, even murder were common. There wasn't a single street that didn't have either a gang or some sort of mob that fought with one another in order to control the area. Drugs were an even bigger problem as loads and loads of life threatening drugs were shipped from the southern district.

"They must've sent a reconnaissance team in a while ago and found this place the least guarded." Akame said. "However, the soldiers here are able to quickly-"

 _BOOM!_

Akame nearly fell back as the large wall exploded into large chunks, leaving a wide gap in the capital's defense. The homes near the wall were quickly destroyed by the large stone that fell and crushed them. Many citizens were even victims to the falling debris, killing some and wounding others.

But the worst part,that came, were the several hundred Loyalist soldiers; entering the city and killing anyone in their sight. A few even laughed as they trapped a few women in a blocked road, no escape.

"Now come here lass." One man said, his mouth beginning to drool. "We promise to be real gentle with ya."

Akame quickly darted over to the men and slashed each of their backs with Murasame. Some dropped to the ground, dead, while others turned around and attempted to attack her but froze as the poison began to work its way to their heart.

"You…." The man could only say before falling dead.

"You two, get out." Akame told them. "Go through the buildings, they won't see you as easily."

The two women nodded and began running out as fast as they could. Tears streaming down their faces.

Akame smiled, glad she had saved them, and turned around to hold off the other hundred Loyalist Soldiers, alongside the Empire's garrison. However, as she took one step, a small body quickly passed her, nearly knocking her down.

Akame jumped in the air, avoiding the second attack before using her sword to defend against several senbons, thrown at her.

"Well, you seemed to have gotten a little faster." Nyx said, appearing on top of one of the destroyed buildings.

Akame landed on the opposite building from her. She checked her body to make sure she wasn't hit before putting her attention back on Nyx.

"You must be alone if it's just you." Akame pointed out. "Is your comrade somewhere else?"

"He's not my comrade." Nyx said. "I don't need comrades. I don't need anyone, except for big sister Hecate, but you people killed her." Anger starting to sound her voice.

"Don't worry, you'll soon join her." Akame said as she pointed her blade at Nyx.

"Hmph, think you can keep up?"

* * *

"Aim a little higher." Pluto calmly told one of the soldiers. "You'll likely hit your target this time."

The soldier nodded his head and aimed the cannon a little higher. He then proceeded to light the fuse and watch where the ball would land as it shot out from the barrel.

The cannonball flew through the air before hitting part of the collapsed wall, opening even more room for the Loyalist soldiers making their way into the city.

The soldier looked happy as Pluto nodded his head and motioned him to get back to work. As he turned his back, Pluto quickly turned around to find the soldier lying on top of the cannon, dead. Beside his body was Juro, breathing heavy but quietly. Both his swords tightly held in his hands and an angry look on his face.

"I thought I felt someone else's presence." Pluto said. "Only turns out to be a small ant."

"Heh, well this ant managed to take out one of your biggest suppliers." Juro smirked, remember how Hywel called him and Iris ants.

"True, Hywel did fund the army, but just because you killed the head, doesn't mean the body stops working." Pluto said, confusing Juro. "We've had more than enough weapons for this siege, anymore and we could've taken this city five times more."

"You're joking?" Juro said, unconvinced.

"We've trained all of our soldiers to match our standards. Those who couldn't keep up were killed. You could say it was like a moral boost for those who survived." Pluto went on. "Day and night, harsh training to the point of fatigue. Of course we can't help their greedy little minds but as long as they fight like we trained them, then there are no worries."

"Bastard." Juro clenched his teeth.

"Now then," Pluto said, pulling out his bow and arrow. "Shall we begin?"

 **Hey guys thanks for reading. Be sure to leave a review and favorite/follow the story. Also don't forget to vote on the poll before it's too late. Voting ends once this story is completed which is in about 4 more chapters. Heiwa!**


	21. HELP!

**So I'm going to be completely honest with you guys. I'm not sure I can finish this story. I'm having a hard time writing out the final chapters and it's been nearly a week and moving on to two. I feel like if I just took a break, I'll end up completely forgetting about it and then it really will never get done. I'm sorry guys but I can only come up with these two options:**

 **Option One is to stop writing the story entirely. As in no more chapters and most likely will be deleted so I'm not reminded of the time I couldn't continue a story and so future readers aren't wondering why it hasn't been finished.**

 **Option Two (and this one might be different for some of you) I hand the story over to one of you guys and let you finish it. In other words, you can either type the chapters yourselves and send them to me (I'll give you credit) or I give you all the chapters for the story and let you post it on your page. (With this option, this may end up extend the story, depending on how far you guys see it go. It is in the final battle between the remaining members of both sides)**

 **These two options will be set as a poll. (Why, I don't know) Anyway, if you choose option two, be sure to pm ahead of time that you'll either take over the story or send me chapters.**

 **Please guys, I really need help with this. FireLord, I'll pm you in a bit so stay tight while I do some other things real quick.**


	22. New Account

Hey guys, it's me. I just want to let you know that I've moved over to a new account since this one is shared and I feel like just posting my own stories and such. So anyway the new account name will be under IcyAxolotl...yeah I like Axolotl's. Anyway, I can't wait to start posting stories for you guys again. Also any stories that have been published under this name will not be replubished. However, Empire High will get a revision by me and I will post the revised chapters. Can't wait to hear your reviews again.


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